


Crossfire

by paulinkaaxx, SailorHeichou



Series: Mass Effect Ereri AU (Space hubands) [1]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Aliens, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Mass Effect, Alternate Universe - Space, Angst and Humor, Artificial Intelligence, BAMF Eren, BAMF levi, Biotic Eren, Biotic Mikasa, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Canonical Character Death, Colonist Armin, Colonist Eren, Commander Levi, Drama & Romance, Earthborn Levi, Eventual Romance, F/M, Geth, Guns, Lots of guns, M/M, Multi, Outer Space, Pre-Slash, Slow Build, Virtual Intelligence, space travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-10-28 16:10:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10834725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paulinkaaxx/pseuds/paulinkaaxx, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorHeichou/pseuds/SailorHeichou
Summary: The Galaxy will call upon Humanity's Strongest Soldier to save them all...--(Part 1 of a larger series. Levi-centric. Pre-slash. Pre-Ereri.)





	1. Prologue: Humanity's Strongest Soldier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, listen up, marines! 
> 
> This here is my latest project and yes, it is an alternate universe heavily based on Bioware's Trilogy Mass Effect. (Fucking check them out if you haven't yet. They're amazing.) 
> 
> Yes, there will be lots of in-game references that most people will not understand if they haven't played the game, but, I will be providing links to the alien races that are mentioned, nothing else! Check for them in every chapter! 
> 
> Even if you don't play the video games, I think you'll still be able to enjoy this little series anyway, if you can look past the many references. I've worked on this for a good few months now, preparing in advance before posting it here on Ao3, I will also include links to songs in each chapter! 
> 
> So, sit back and enjoy this wild fucking space ride, private!

__

The year is 2183 -- The Human race has finally made a name for itself throughout the Galaxy after the events of The First Contact War between the [Turian](http://img14.deviantart.net/15ff/i/2012/007/3/b/mass_effect__turian_medium_phantom_armour_ref__by_troodon80-d4llggd.jpg) Hierarchy 26 years earlier. Humanity has accomplished many things, but no accomplishment was greater than that of Humanity's Strongest Solider...

__

Commander Levi Ackerman -- Earthborn, was the youngest and most successful recruit in the famed N7 training program noted for it's harshness and brutality. An elite soldier if ever there was one, Commander Ackerman made a name for himself when he was the only survivor of a small infiltration team meant to attack a band of Batarian Slavers on the planet Orvud.

__

Now, with rumors of the [Geth](https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/001/073/243/large/jaemus-wurzbach-jaemus-masseffect3-geth-game.jpg?1439450455) appearing outside of the Perseus Veil and attacking several colonies, human and non-human, and with a much darker threat looming over them, the Galaxy will call upon Humanity's Strongest Soldier to save them all...

__

__  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)


	2. The Soldier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _'♪ If you want to spar, we can do it, no gloves_  
>  and if you're gonna run at me, you better do it hard  
> 'Cause I fear no fall, no brawl, no scars  
> Don't tell me I should bow, 'cause I'm no clown  
> And this is not a game, Don't get in my way... ♪'
> 
> **Don't Get In My Way** \- **Zack Hemsey**

"Did you hear about what happened to that colony on the planet Yarckel?" 

"Yeah. Poor bastards. They didn't have a chance." 

"I heard it was the Geth."

"The Geth? No way."

"Is it really so impossible? Look what they did to the [Quarians](http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/masseffect/images/7/7c/QuarianMaleAndFemale.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100317060344), and they created the damn things." 

"The Geth are just a bunch of stupid machines. There's no way they could have planned to attack a human colony on purpose."

"They're A.I.'s. That means they're self-aware, jackass." 

Levi couldn't help but listen in on the conversation happening between two ensigns in the mess hall as he made his way up from the shuttle bay. His muscles ached from the intense workout he had just put himself through, but he relished in that familiar burning soreness. He gripped the towel that was hooked over his shoulders and made his presence known among the other members of his crew as the mess hall suddenly went silent and he was saluted. 

"Commander!" 

"At ease." He dismissed with a wave of his hand. That was the part of his newest promotion that he hated. All the damn saluting.

The crew went about their business in the mess hall while Levi made his way past the crew's quarters and into the men's communal showers. The Commander was known for his 3-minute combat showers, and true to his reputation, 3 minutes and he was done and just in time as he was summoned to the Comm room by their helmsman over the intercom. 

_"Commander Levi, Captain Shadis wants to see you in the Comm room ASAP, sir."_

"Tch, I'm on my way." the raven grunted as he finished drying his hair with a damp towel. 

_'What did that old bastard want now?'_ he wondered as he slipped into his Military issued Alliance fatigues. He made quick work of lacing up his boots before he was making his way back out to deck 3 to take the elevator up to the CIC. He more or less had an idea of why Shadis wanted to see him in the comm room, but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions just yet. His instincts told him he was probably right to assume that he was going to be sent on assignment very soon, and he was perfectly fine with that. It had been awhile since he'd gone groundside on a mission, the last being a low-risk assignment to oversee repairs to a distress beacon on a colony in the Utopia Cluster. 

Still, with all the stories and rumors going around about Geth attacking human colonies and being spotted outside the Perseus Veil, Levi had a sneaking suspicion that whatever new assignment Shadis had for him, it would involve Geth and lots of them. These were his thoughts as he rode the elevator up to the CIC where he was saluted by the Yeoman along with the flight crew. 

"Commander! Captain Shadis is already waiting for you in the comm room with a transmission from the citadel." 

With a nod of acknowledgement, Levi made a B line for the comm room where he was met by two marines standing guard by the doors. They saluted him as he approached the automated doors but Levi made no moves to acknowledge them as he waited for the door to open for him. With a familiar shrill hiss of machinery, the doors finally opened to reveal the Captain standing in front of the vid comm with none other than Erwin Smith. 

"Commander," Capt. Shadis addressed him as the raven entered. "Good timing." 

"You asked for me?" Levi said as he stepped up to the Captain's side, arms crossing over his chest as he eyed Erwin through the vid comm. 

_"Commander Levi,"_ Erwin's deep baritone crackled through the comm link. _"Good to see you in one piece."_

"Smith." Levi greeted with his usual indifference and a nod of his head. 

"Ambassador Smith was just informing me about a rather dire situation on one of our nearest colonies." 

"Let me guess," Levi frowned. "Geth?" 

Erwin and the Captain exchanged knowing glances with one another before Shadis was moving on to brief him. 

"It would seem that way." the older man sighed as he pulled up the distress signal from the planet Krolva in the Karanes System. "The alliance has been trying to keep this situation with the Geth under wraps until we can take care of the problem quickly and quietly, but it seems like the attacks are becoming more frequent and widespread."

"Well, the Alliance is doing a piss poor job. I just heard two ensigns talking about the last Geth attack on Yarckel down in the mess hall. If two ensigns can get their hands on this kind of information, something's clearly not right." Levi scowled. 

"Erwin thinks there's more to this than just the Geth randomly deciding to attack human colonies." Shadis pointed out as he replayed the broken transmission. 

"Such as?" the Commander prompted.

 _"I believe a war is coming."_ Erwin piped up, earning him Levi's full attention. 

"War?" the raven parroted. "With who? The Geth?" 

_"No, but the Geth play a significant role in it."_

"Spit it out, Smith." Levi snapped, not liking how the blond Ambassador was dancing around his questions. "If there's a war coming, we need to prepare." 

_"I have evidence to support the idea that The Reapers are coming, Commander."_

The room fell silent at Erwin's words, Shadis saying nothing but carefully scanning Levi for some kind of reaction. The Commander kept his face carefully blank, but he had to admit he was a little bit skeptical. The Reapers? Weren't they just a myth? Well, to be honest, Levi wasn't even entirely sure what the truth of the Reapers was. He knew next to nothing about them but he was willing to hear Erwin out, at least. 

"Alright, I'll bite. What are the Reapers and why do you think we're going to war with them soon?" 

There was genuine surprise on the Ambassador's face as he took a moment to register that Levi was openly accepting his theory without question, but he was quick to recover and with a clearing of his throat, the blond Ambassador began revealing all the evidence he had gathered about the impending Reaper invasion. By the end of his findings, The Commander didn't need any convincing. He may have hated Politicians but he made an exception for Erwin J. Smith, simply because the man had been the reason he joined the Alliance Navy in the first place and in all the years of knowing the blond both as a Soldier and, recently, Politician he had yet to be wrong about anything. Erwin had proven himself a dangerous foe to be up against with his elaborate strategies during his time in the military and now he was proving himself a worthy adversary in politics, always keeping the Council on their toes and constantly pushing the limits in Humanity's best interests. There was no reason for Levi to start doubting him now. 

"So, these old ass machines were responsible for the Protheans being wiped out 50,000 years ago?" Levi summed up. 

_"My lead scientist believes so, yes."_

"And this scientist of yours managed to understand the warnings that were left behind by a trillion dead aliens?"

_"Yes. Dr. Zoe is quite brilliant."_

"And these warnings predict another Reaper attack?" Sighing, Levi couldn't help but rub at the back of his neck tiredly. He did not like the sound of this, one bit. "Damn." 

_"If this race of sentient machines returns and we didn't even attempt to prepare, Dr. Zoe predicts not only the extinction of humankind but every species in the galaxy."_ Erwin explained, his tone solemn. 

"Have you already presented your findings to the Council, Erwin?" Shadis asked, his forehead wrinkling in concern. 

The blond Ambassador sighed heavily, _"Yes and they all but laughed in my face. Even when I showed them Dr. Zoe's flawless work with the Prothean beacons."_

"They'll regret that." Levi sniffed.

 _"I agree."_ Erwin nodded. _"For now, I'm doing the best I can to help our people out there on the edges of the Terminus Systems and beyond with the increased Geth attacks. I'm also doing everything I can to keep an eye on a troublesome group known as Cerberus. They claim to be pro-human yet my investigations show a string of disturbing activities involving some twisted experiments."_

"Sounds like trouble." Shadis frowned. "But that's the least of our concerns right now. Commander, we're setting a course for the colony on Krolva. Grab your squad and suit up. You're going groundside." 

Straightening up, Levi faced his CO properly. "What's our objective, Captain?" 

"Find as many surviving colonists as you can and get them the hell out of there." 

"Understood." 

_"There's a small group of Alliance scientists already there, Levi."_ Erwin pointed out. _"Dr. Hanji Zoe is among them. I would be eternally grateful if you ensured the doctor's safety."_

The Commander found the blond Ambassador's request a bit strange, considering Erwin was never one to make requests of him lightly, if ever. He wondered if perhaps this Dr. Hanji Zoe meant more to Erwin than the man was letting on, but Levi wasn't about to ask the nature of his relationship with some scientist. It just wasn't his business, but he figured he'd find out, eventually. He always did. 

"I'll do what I can, Smith. But you already know the colonists take priority." 

As Levi turned to leave the comm room, Erwin's voice crackled through once more. _"I know... Good luck, Commander."_

"I don't need luck." The Raven said over his shoulder as he exited. "I have guns."

\-- M --

Krolva was a beautiful garden world and from what Levi knew, it was one of their oldest colonies. Being Earthborn, he didn't much care to learn about the other worlds humanity had settled on before he was even born, but since joining the Alliance he'd come to understand why humans traveled light-years in order to start someplace new. Krolva was the symbol of mankind's hope and it was currently burning.

"Ground squad to Titan. Do you read me?" 

_"Loud and clear, Commander. What's your position?"_

"Just touched down. We're about one klick away from the main encampment. This whole place is a fucking mess." 

_"Understood, Commander. Linking your suits feed to the Captain in the Comm room."_

"Damn," Levi heard Mike say over his helmet's comm.

"Krolva..." his squad's sniper exhaled. Flagon was a colony kid if Levi remembered correctly. "This place was gorgeous, once." 

"And now it's burned to all hell." Levi growled as he lead his team forward past rocky hills and mossy stones. "Stay sharp. We're a ways off from the main camp but there could still be a few stragglers here and there." 

As they moved forward toward the colony's main encampment, Levi leading the pack with Flagon and Mike flanking him on either side, he stopped abruptly when he heard gunfire in the distance. He signaled for them to get behind cover and soon he was ducking and rolling behind a small rock formation. Mike was pressed up against the wall of an empty building while Flagon crouched behind a load of cargo, sniper rifle out and ready. 

 

Flagon looked to Levi for some kind of signal and the raven simply gave a subtle jerk of his head in the general direction of where the gunfire was heard. Giving a nod of acknowledgement, the sniper carefully leaned out of cover and used his scope to get a reading on the area. There was nothing but radio silence for several minutes before Levi heard Shadis's voice crackle through his helmet's comm.

_"Commander, what's the situation?"_

"Unknown." Levi grunted. "Lieutenant Flagon is scoping out the area but we definitely heard gunfire."

"All clear, Commander." the sniper announced. "The gunfire must have come from the main camp. We better move fast." 

"Agreed. Move out!" 

Rolling out of cover, Levi took a running start, Assault Rifle primed and ready while Mike and Flagon followed his lead. They passed by several empty and derelict buildings and facilities but so far, no signs of life. There was also something else disturbing Levi about the lack of survivors so far, and it was the giant metallic spikes sticking out of the ground. 

"Shadis, are you seeing those spikes?" he asked, as he and his squad moved from cover to cover as quickly as they could without exposing themselves too much. 

_"I see them, but I haven't a clue what they are or what they're used for."_

"Commander! Up ahead, there's... a body impaled on one of the spikes!" Flagon cried in alarm. 

"What? Explain."

Levi waited as his sniper used his scope to see ahead of them, but all he could hear through the comm was Flagon's shuddered breaths and dry swallowing. 

"Lieutenant!" The raven barked. "Report what you're seeing, damn it, that's an order!" 

Shaking off his momentary horror, Flagon took a second to collect himself and breathe before he was reporting what he saw to his Commander. 

"I-I'm not sure, Commander. It looks like there are bodies impaled on the spikes up ahead of us but--... but they don't look right." 

"How do you mean?" Mike grunted as he moved behind the cover of a broken down shuttle that had it's doors blown clean off. 

"They don't look like the colonists but... oh, god, what are those things?" 

"Focus, Lieutenant." Levi reminded him as he shifted in his spot and switched the mode of his ammo. "Do you see any signs of movement?" 

Another dry attempt at swallowing before Flagon answered with a shaky, "No, sir." 

"Then, we keep moving towards the main camp. We're close now and the sound of gunfire picked up." 

"Aye, aye, sir!"

Just as they were about to head out of cover, Levi heard loud static over his squad's comm channel before a voice crackled through. 

_"-- Alliance Navy -- ... Dr. Hanji Zoe! Do you--?"_

"The hell?" Mike said with a frown as he brought out his omni-tool to do a scan. "Someone hacked into the channel, Commander. It's local." 

Sucking his teeth, Levi holstered his gun. "Who the hell is this?" he growled into his helmet's comm. "This is a secured Alliance channel." 

_"You must be Commander Levi."_ the voice laughed over the static. _"I'm well aware this is a secured Alliance channel, Commander. I happen to be with the Alliance myself. Dr. Hanji Zoe. Erwin mentioned he was sending help."_

"The scientist?" Levi huffed. "Report. What's your position, Zoe?" 

_"Straight to business, eh? Well, I guess we can save the pleasantries for later. I'm holed up in one of the colony's med-clinics along with a small handful of survivors. Everyone outside of this med-clinic is gone."_

"Gone?" Flagon gasped. "What do you mean?" 

"Explain, Zoe, and make it quick." 

_"It's just as I said, Commander. There are no other survivors except for myself and a small handful of colonists I managed to pick up along the way. But I don't have time to explain now. You've got bigger problems headed your way."_

"Commander!" Mike warned. "We've got movement coming from the entrance of the encampment!" 

_"There's a swarm of[Husks](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/6c/b4/60/6cb46054fddac1eac74570e4e4946d2c.jpg) and a few Geth drones headed straight your way!"_

"Damn it!" Levi cursed as he leaned out of cover to assess the situation for himself. He used the scope on his own Assault Rifle to confirm that there was indeed a large group of synthetic looking creatures headed straight for them along with a pair of drones. "Alright, stay behind cover." he instructed. "I'm going to try and break through that swarm while picking off as many of those fuckers as I can so I can get to Zoe and the rest of the colonists. Make sure there's a clear path for us." 

"Understood, Sir." 

"Zoe, send me a navpoint. I'm coming to get you and the other colonists." 

_"You've got it, Commander! By the by, don't let the husks grab hold of you. They're hard to shake off."_

"Incoming!" Flagon yelled as he started firing at the drones overhead. "I'll take care of the drones!" 

"Sure, pick the easiest targets, Flagon." Mike was heard grumbling as he moved to better cover behind a large rock formation. 

"Hey, you wanna handle shooting at the flying death machines with guns, be my guest." 

The Husks were noisy with their approach, hissing and making pained, garbled noises as they charged toward Levi and his squad blindly. They were a disturbing sight to see and if Levi was a lesser man, he might have even been a little intimidated, but thankfully that wasn't the case. Rolling out of cover, Levi opened fire and took down three husks. One in the eye, one in the chest and the last in the mouth. 

"Light em' up!" 

The Commander was a force to be reckoned with as he bulldozed straight through a cluster of husks that all tried to overwhelm him but Levi was strong for his surprisingly short stature. He punched, kicked and elbowed the synthetic bastards as they grabbed him and tried to pull him down to be devoured but the Commander wasn't having it. He didn't endure N7 training just to be taken down by a bunch of zombie-like monsters when he had an entire species to protect still. 

"Commander, you alright?" Came Mike's low baritone as he picked off another husk that was getting dangerously close to Flagon. "Those bastards look tough as nails." 

Ignoring the drone that was firing at him overhead, Levi did a barrel roll and shot another husk in the head as he broke past the worst of the horde. He continued to charge toward his main goal, which was the colonists holed up in a nearby med-bay, but a few stragglers pursued him. 

"I'm fine," he huffed. "Just keep those things off me until I'm clear." 

_"Not bad, Commander. I see why you're considered humanity's strongest soldier now. I watched three grown men get devoured by those things with ease but you broke through that horde without a scratch."_ Dr. Zoe's voice crackled through the channel.

Levi turned around to pick off another couple of stragglers that insisted on chasing him into the main camp but they were no match for his assault semi-automatic rifle and a few shredder rounds. He checked the navpoint on his omnitool and realized he was close to his destination but he needed to check on his squad before he reached the colonists. 

"Commander!" Flagon's voice cried in alarm. Then a scream was heard before his suits feed crackled and turned to nothing but static. 

"What the hell's going on, Mike?" Levi growled as he kept low to the ground and moved slowly toward the med-bay. 

Levi could hear Mike's heavy breathing over their helmet's comm and it took him some time before he answered back in a grim tone. "Flagon's been killed, Levi. I'm holding down this spot solo and it's looking rough."

"Damn it." The raven cursed. "Can you handle it alone for now, Major?" 

"... Yeah." came Mike's unsure voice. "Yes, I'll try. Just hurry and get those colonists out, Levi!" 

"I'm working on it." Popping the heat sink, Levi neared the med-bay. There were a few husks wandering around the perimeter but it was nothing Levi couldn't handle. "Zoe, how many colonists are there? Give me a head count." 

At first all he heard was static crackling through the comm but eventually the doctor answered, though their voice was solemn and a bit grim. 

_"There are five colonists, Commander."_

"What?" the raven growled. "How can there only be five? I was told this colony consisted of at least 400 people." 

_"... It's just as I said, Commander. I managed to save as many colonists as I could and most of them were children."_

"Shit," the commander huffed as he killed another husk that was clawing at one of the doors of the med-bay. "Still, five is better than none. Get ready to go, Zoe. I'm here to escort you to the evac shuttle." 

_"Aye, Aye, Commander Levi! We're ready to get out of here!"_

The raven picked off the last husk by smashing it's legs with his boots and finally he used the blunt part of his rifle to crush it's head. The husk went down with a loud moan of pain but finally he had cleared the area and he could hear the continuous gunfire from Mike's last position at the front of the main camp. Good. Gunfire meant Mike was still alive. 

"Ground team to Titan. Have that evac shuttle ready. I have the surviving colonists and Dr. Zoe with me." Levi beeped in. 

_"Understood, Commander. Evac shuttle is already en route to your current location."_

Levi knocked on the metal door with his elbow, two knocks in rapid succession to alert Dr. Zoe that it was all clear. It took a moment but finally the doors were bypassed and they opened with a hiss, revealing the scientists with all their wild brown hair and thick glasses along with five children of varying ages. Aside from a few scrapes or cuts, the kids looked fine but the same couldn't be said for the doctor. Their face was pale and Levi could see signs of an open wound that had been haphazardly patched up. 

"Good timing, Commander." Dr. Zoe said with a wan smile. 

"You're Dr. Zoe?" Levi asked, suddenly skeptical for some reason. His eyes honed in on the shot gun in their hands and he couldn't help but raise a brow because that was a heavy duty weapon. Most soldiers couldn't handle the recoil of a regular shotgun let alone the one Dr. Zoe currently had in their hands. "Aren't you just supposed to be a scientist?" he asked with a jerk of his chin toward the weapon in their hands. 

"Heh," the doctor chuckled. "Aren't you supposed to be taller?" 

Frowning in disapproval but otherwise not rising to the bait, the Commander stepped forward and put the scientists' arm around his shoulders while he let them lean on him. The children all watched him with a myriad of expressions, most of them just looked terrified but the older ones stared up at him in awe. 

"You could have mentioned you were injured, Zoe." Levi scolded as he helped them walk out of the med-bay. "You brats stay close and keep your eyes peeled. If you see movement, tell me asap." 

"Y-Yes, sir." an older girl, probably about fourteen or so, was quick to take charge of the younger kids as she herded them out right behind the commander. Good. That was one less thing for him to worry about. 

"Alyssa there wants to be an Alliance Marine, don'tcha?" Dr. Zoe laughed weakly.

"Yes, ma'am! Just like pop." 

"Alright, Private Alyssa. Consider this your first assignment. Watch the other brats while we wait for the evac shuttle." Levi ordered. He helped Dr. Zoe hobble over to a nearby load of cargo where he tucked them away and let them rest and catch their breath. "Medi-gel?" he asked vaguely. 

"If I had any left, do you think I'd still be in this condition?" the doctor tried to joke but only ended up wincing in pain as they tried to adjust themselves against the boxes of cargo.

"Tch, what a pain in the ass. Here, use some of mine. I usually never need it anyway." 

"Wow, Erwin said you were good but good enough not to need Medi-gel in the field? I'm impressed, Commander." 

Ignoring the compliment, Levi decided to get an ETA on the shuttle. "Ground team to Titan. Where the hell is that evac shuttle?" 

_"We've got a problem, Commander. The LZ is currently occupied by geth. We can't land until it's cleared."_

"Shit." the raven cursed. This mission was turning into a real mess all of a sudden. He hadn't had a mission go this bad since... well, he didn't want to think about that now.

"Go clear that landing zone, Commander." Dr. Zoe huffed as they sat up straight with their shotgun in hand. They ejected the used clip and inserted a new magazine. "I've got things covered here. We'll be alright now that the husks aren't around to make trouble and I've got my hands on some medi-gel." they smiled. Levi could see the exhaustion in their eyes but like a true Alliance soldier, Dr. Zoe knew what had to be done. 

Gray eyes landed on Alyssa, the older girl in their group who was doing her best in keeping an eye out for trouble. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Levi approached and tapped her on the shoulder gently to get her attention. The girl started, her blonde ponytail bobbing as she jumped but soon she was turning and saluting Levi like a true marine and it earned a little smirk from him. 

"Do you know how to fire a standard Alliance issued Pistol, Private?" he asked. 

Hesitantly, the girl shook her head from side to side. "P-Pop showed me how to once but I... can't really remember too well right now." she stammered. 

"Alright, well here's your second assignment. Take this pistol," pulling the simple pistol out of it's holster, Levi loaded it with the necessary rounds and handed it to her grip first. "There's a precision scope modded onto it to make aiming easier. All you have to do is when you see an enemy, point the barrel at it and pull that trigger."

"Y-Yes, sir. I mean, aye, aye, sir!" she saluted once more, carefully taking the gun from Levi's hand and handling it as though it were a bomb. "Point and shoot." she repeated to herself quietly. 

"Hey," Levi said, voice softening as he put his hand on her thin shoulder. "Dr. Zoe's here too. You won't be alone. But you've got to do your best to protect these little brats." Alyssa sniffled, eyes lining with fresh tears as she nodded. "We'll get you out of here." Levi promised her. 

"Commander," Mike's tired voice beeped in suddenly. "I took care of the last of the husks at the front of the camp. Looks all clear."

"Good work, Major. Status report?" 

"A bit banged up, but I can still kill some geth."

"Good. That's what I like to hear. I'm heading to the LZ. Meet me there." 

"What about the colonists?" Mike asked, sounding skeptical. 

"... Five kids and Dr. Zoe were the only survivors. They shouldn't be in any immediate danger now that the husks are taken care of." Levi clarified as he took out his assault rifle. 

"Damn. Understood, Commander. I'll meet you at the landing zone. Zacharius out." 

"You'd better get a move on." Dr. Zoe said with a wince as they agitated their wound. "The faster you deal with the geth, the faster we'll get the kids out of here." 

"Agreed." the commander nodded. "Stay sharp, Zoe. You can bleed out once we're back on the Titan." 

"Oh, ha! You've got jokes. That's funny." the brunette laughed. "The medi-gel should be kicking in so don't worry about me, Commander. Go clear that landing zone!" 

They didn't have to tell Levi twice. With one final glance back toward Alyssa, his pistol in her hand, Levi turned and started running toward the general direction of the landing zone. As he neared it, he could hear gunfire and the synthetic chattering of geth as they were distracted by the Major who was hiding behind cover. Levi could hear his heavy breathing over his helmet's comm and he knew they needed to finish this quickly. They'd already been stretched so thin, not expecting the geth presence on the planet to be so heavy, let alone the disturbing discovery of the husks and how they were made. 

Across the LZ he could see about eight geth troopers, their smaller more compact stature easily distinguishable from the larger Geth Primes of which Levi counted about three. That wasn't even counting the damn hoppers. Levi could already tell those little fuckers would be tricky with the way they bounced from spot to spot. Shit. This wasn't looking good. He was wary of the primes but his instinct told him there were probably more enemies, some he couldn't see with just his eyes but he could sense them. It was a skill he developed early on in his basic training and a skill that had saved his life a hundred times over. 

It was in the way the hair at the back of his neck stood up, a thrum of electric energy humming through him as he became hyper aware of his surroundings. His skill with sensing cloaked enemies was once again proven when a camouflaged geth appeared as if from thin air and shot at him just barely grazing his shoulder. Pulse rays. He hated alien tech sometimes. The pulse ray cut right through his heavy plated armor and he felt his skin singed underneath but he was forced to ignore the pain as he rolled out of cover now that his position had been compromised. 

Luckily, this was when Mike chose to pop out of cover and take out three of the smaller Geth Troopers while Levi ran for cover. He crouched behind a rather large rock and adjusted the types of rounds on his rifle. He might even need to use a frag grenade to take out those damn primes and their shields but that wouldn't be hard. 

"What's the situation, Major?" 

"Well, they're three troopers less, but those cloaked hunters are going to be a pain in the ass." Mike replied, irritation clear in his voice and Levi could empathize with that.

"Not a problem." Levi grunted as he popped out of cover to shoot at one of the Hoppers. "For the hunters just rely on your ears. You'll hear them long before you see them, trust me." 

"Aye, aye, sir." 

Levi didn't like how long clearing the landing zone was taking but he couldn't be hasty. He had to be absolutely sure that they clear the landing zone before he brought the kids and Dr. Zoe here. 'Do the job right or don't do it at all.' It was one of his cardinal rules since joining the Alliance Navy.

"Yeah! One Prime less to worry about!" Mike cheered. "I think we're almost clear, Commander." 

"Easy does it, Major." Levi warned. "We don't give the all clear unless we're positive we got all the geth."

As the two Marines picked off Geth one by one, the hardest being a Juggernaut who had rushed Mike and almost knocked his lights out, Levi heard gunfire from the direction of the main camp and he felt his heart stop for a brief moment as fear gripped him. 

"Zoe, what the hell was that?" He heard nothing but static and radio silence for a moment or two. "Damn it, Zoe! Answer me! What's your status?" 

Finally, he heard the scientists labored breathing along with a few whines of a terrified child. It was almost a relief to hear it. But they weren't out of danger yet. 

_"We've got a problem, Commander. A new horde of Husks just started popping up out of nowhere and we're surrounded! I can't hold them off by myself!"_

"Damn it!" Levi cursed with a slam of his fist to the ground. "I thought you took care of those husks, Major?" 

"I did!" Mike growled back. "I almost got killed fighting off those bastards by myself but I definitely got all of em, sir." 

_"That's how they are."_ Dr. Zoe panted, clearly exhausted. _"My guess would be that the colonists they killed not too long ago and put on those spikes finally finished their... transformation and these are an entirely new batch of husks. Oh, god, they're everywhere."_

Levi checked his surroundings and noted that only a couple of drones and a trooper remained. He had hoped to clear the landing zone completely but he had no choice but to radio the evac shuttle to land anyway. 

"Ground team to Evac Shuttle. The Landing Zone is secure. Land now." 

_"Negative, Commander. We're still getting hostile geth readings on the scanner--"_

"I said land **now** , damn it!" the raven barked. "Mike! I'm heading back for the colonists! Keep the landing zone cleared!" 

"Sure," the bigger man grunted. "No problem, Commander." 

Levi didn't have any time to waste. He took a running start back toward the colony's main camp at full speed, his burning shoulder be damned. He was not about to let these kids be slaughtered and turned into those monsters. Not so long as he lived and breathed. It was easy to spot the group of kids and the Doctor, who were more or less where he'd left them with plenty of cover but he could also see those damn Husks swarming them like no tomorrow. 

"Zoe! You and the kids get down behind cover and make sure they protect their ears. I'm throwing a frag grenade!" 

"Uh, are you sure that's a good ide--" 

"Get down, now!" 

Without needing to be told twice, the doctor grabbed two of the kids and brought them down behind cover while Alyssa shielded the other two children with her body. Levi was impressed by her instinct to protect the younger ones when she was in as much danger as the rest of them. Detaching one of the heavy grenades from his ammo pack, Levi activated it and with deadly accurate precision, he tossed the grenade into the throng of the swarm where he knew it would do the most damage and rolled behind cover himself. The blast was super sonic and he hoped the doctor had done what he'd asked and covered the kids ears because if not, they'd have one hell of a busted eardrum for awhile. 

Ducking out of cover, Levi observed the damage and was pleased to see that most of the husks got taken out by the blast while the ones that were left were incapacitated by the fragments that went flying in every direction. 

"Zoe, you're clear. Let's get these kids to the LZ." Levi beeped in. 

"Jesus christ, Erwin wasn't kidding when he said he was sending the best." Dr. Zoe breathed out in amazement. 

"Get a move on, Zoe. That's an order!" 

"R-Right. Come on, kids. We're getting out of here." 

Levi made sure to cover them while Dr. Zoe herded the children toward the landing zone, dogging their steps were a few stray husks but Levi made quick work of them. He couldn't take all of the credit, however, when Alyssa took out a couple of husks herself. 

"Good work, Private." Levi praised, once they were clear and in sight of the LZ. He put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair a bit, which earned him a big smile from the young girl. "You successfully completed your first Alliance mission." 

"T-Thank you, sir!" 

"Commander!" Mike called from the evac shuttle. "We're all clear but not for long. We're picking up more Geth signals headed our way soon!" 

"Alright, Zoe. Get your ass on that shuttle." Levi instructed he as picked up one of the younger kids and slung them over his shoulder. The little boy squealed at first but then fell silent as Levi made a sprint for the evac shuttle. 

From behind, he could hear gunfire once more, and as he reached the shuttle with Dr. Zoe and the rest of the children following them, he saw Alyssa picking off some Husks that had managed to follow them to the LZ. 

"Alyssa!" Dr. Zoe called, fear clear in their tone. "Commander, she'll be killed!" 

"I got it!" he called back as he finished handing off the last of the children to Mike who helped them onto the evac shuttle. "Mike, tell the pilot to start taking off!" 

"But, Levi you won't make it!" he frowned. 

"I'll make it." he said, determination in his voice. "I'm not leaving her behind to die." 

Without another word, Levi turned and started running back toward Alyssa who was slowly starting to become overwhelmed by a new horde of Husks. She fired his pistol in rapid succession, but just before he could reach her, the magazine ran out of rounds and the thermal clip ejected. 

"Shit." At this rate, she'd be devoured. "Retreat, Private!" 

With fear written all over her face, Levi watched as the young girl turned to start running back toward the LZ, but just as she did so, a husk lunged for her legs and tripped her up causing her to fall face first to the ground. Levi jumped over a downed shuttle but he already knew he wasn't going to reach her in time. He could hear her screams of pain as the husks began to devour her mercilessly. 

"Levi, the shuttle is leaving! If you're going to make it, you've gotta turn back now!" Mike yelled over the comm. 

"I can still save her." Levi tried. "I can still..." 

"Commander! She's gone..." 

"Damn it..." Levi cursed under his breath as he pulled out his rifle and started shooting Husks. "Damn it!" 

_"Ackerman, this is your Captain speaking. I order you to get on that damn evac shuttle, now!"_

With a yell of frustration, Levi was forced to turn around and run back toward the shuttle that was already preparing to take off. Mike hung halfway out of the door, arm outstretched for Levi to take when he got close enough. From behind him, the commander could hear the synthetic chatter of arriving Geth forces along with the pained moaning of Husks as he neared the shuttle. 

He made it, but only just barely. Had he been just a couple of seconds later, the shuttle would have taken off without him, but even after he'd safely made it, Levi couldn't help but stare out at the burning colony as it was overrun by Husks and Geth. He clenched his fists and did his best to swallow past the burning in his chest because he was just so angry. 

"... You tried your best." the doctor said from beside him.

"It wasn't enough." he said.

\-- M --

Back on the ship, Levi was tense and silent. He reported back to Shadis and Erwin in the Comm Room, but he kept his words short and curt and went about the briefing in almost a robotic motion until Shadis dismissed him.

He couldn't leave the comm room fast enough, it seemed. He stomped his way down to the Deck 2 where the mess hall and the med-bay was and there he found Dr. Zoe getting treated for their wound. 

"Commander!" they called when they saw him passing by. "Commander Levi!" 

He promptly ignored them as he turned the corner and entered the men's communal showers. He just needed some time to think. To dwell on the fact that a fourteen year old girl died today because of his failure to make it to her on time. He stripped off his clothes with no little amount of effort, occasionally having to stop so he could hiss at the pain of his injured shoulder where the pulse ray had singed him. He knew he would receive hell from Shadis if he didn't get his shoulder looked at, but at the moment he didn't care. He needed a shower. 

Levi couldn't help but think about that poor girl's face right before she was taken by those husks. It was a face he knew would haunt him, along with several others; it was just another name for him to add onto the growing list of people he failed. He always knew joining the Alliance meant people he knew would die, friends and colleagues and people he shed blood with on the field. Flagon was another person he regretted losing. In all the years Flagon had spent on his squad, Levi had never bothered to get to know anymore than he needed to know about the man and now he was dead. 

Leaning against the cool metal of the showers, Levi bowed his head forward until his forehead rested against the wall and he let the cold water cascade over his body, washing away the blood and the dirt on his body. There was nothing he hated more than a meaningless death on his account. In this case, it was two deaths. He wondered, if it ever stopped or would it get worse the longer he stayed in the Alliance. He wondered, just how many more people would he be forced to watch die on his watch. 

The walk back to his bunk in the crew's quarters was a solemn one and the rest of the ship's crew knew to stay out of his way as he made his way through the mess hall. Unfortunately, for him, upon reaching his quarters, he was met with Dr. Zoe sitting on the edge of his bunk with a photo frame in their hands. 

"Get out." was all he said as he moved to toss the damp towel in it's proper place among the dirty laundry. 

"Don't beat yourself up over Alyssa's death." they said, standing up from the bed and placing the photo frame on the desk near his bunk. "We knew what we were signing up for when we joined the alliance."

"Get. Out." he repeated himself, voice sharp and pointed. 

The doctor didn't move at first, simply observing him with big, brown eyes behind thick glasses that in any other situation, Levi would have made fun of but he wasn't up for this conversation right now. Not when the memory was still so fresh in his mind. 

"I notified Alyssa's father about her death. He wanted me to give you the picture I left on your desk."

Dr. Zoe finally moved to leave his quarters, but not before they stopped to get in one last word. "And don't forget to get that shoulder looked at. If you don't, I'll just keep coming back and pestering you about it." 

With a hiss of the hydraulics on the door, the doctor was finally gone and Levi was alone. He stayed glued to his spot by the foot of his bunk, eyes lingering on the frame laying face down on his desk left by that annoying four-eyed pest. He could already tell that he would not be rid of Dr. Hanji Zoe easily now that they were going to be joining him on the SSV Titan. 

With a couple of slow, hesitant steps, Levi approached his desk and reached out for the frame. Flipping it over, he was met with the beaming face of none other than the girl he watched devoured alive right before his eyes only hours ago. He gripped the edges of the frame with his fingertips and before long he was sinking down into his bunk while staring down at the photo. 

It was a nice picture of the blonde girl he'd only known briefly, but in that time, he had seen a future marine with so much promise. Now, she was just another young flame that had been snuffed out before it could truly begin to burn. But, in that moment, Levi set the photo facing upright on his desk and made a promise with himself. He would wipe out the geth, no matter what it took. If this was just the beginnings of a war yet to come, he would make sure the Reapers feared him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very proud of this chapter for several reasons, not just because I worked on this one chapter for about two or three months or so but because I really took my time with it and tried to give it an authentic Mass Effect feel for all my fellow Mass Effect fans out there. 
> 
> BUT! Even if you're not familiar with the games, I hope you found this chapter enjoyable over all. Very action-packed and exciting!


	3. Legendary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _'♪ Actions not words will be heard, will be heard  
>  Just do or die a man, a man ♪'_
> 
> **Do or Die** \- **Kassassin Street**

Levi hated docking on the [Citadel](http://sf.co.ua/13/10/wallpaper-1400831.jpg). But in this particular case, it was "necessary" according to Erwin, which Levi thought was such utter bullshit. It wasn't "necessary" for him to have a meeting with the Citadel Council when he had already given Erwin his answer about this Spectre business. He didn't fucking want the title and all the trouble it entailed. He was Alliance, all the way. 

 

"I still don't know why that damn bushy brows wanted me to meet the council. He already knows I'm going to decline their offer of Spectre status." he complained as he made his way from the Docking bay to the elevator. "Also, damn these slow ass elevators." 

 

_"Do you ever do anything other than complain?"_ Hanji's voice beeped through his omnitool. He hated how they just gave themselves authority to hack his omnitool without his permission. _"The Citadel is the only place in the galaxy where you can meet every alien race and see them mingling with each other!"_

 

"Tch, that's not true." Levi grumbled as he stepped onto the elevator and waited for it's agonizingly slow descent. "Omega is just as diverse." 

 

_"Yeah, but Omega is a shit-hole."_

 

"Agreed." Levi snorted to himself quietly. "Anyway, if you love the citadel so much, why aren't you taking shore leave?" 

 

_"Oh, I am."_ Hanji chirped cheerfully. 

 

"Because that's not vague in the least." 

 

_"I've got some business in the Presidium but then I'm meeting someone at the human Embassy."_

 

"Sounds like a date." The Commander joked as he finally stepped off the elevator. Naturally, the first stop was C-Sec, which normally he didn't mind, but it seemed oddly crowded today. 

 

_"Nah, it's nothing like that."_ Hanji sighed. _"Unfortunately, geniuses like me don't get the luxury of hot dates. Gotta save the world from an incoming reaper invasion, after all."_

 

"Right," Levi huffed, working his way through the crowd of both humans and various aliens to another elevator that would take him to the Wards. "How could I forget about the invasion of the giant, old-ass machines that want to kill everyone." 

 

_"It's not a joke, Commander. If the Reapers come back, it'll mean the destruction of every species in the galaxy."_

 

"Uh-huh. So, you've mentioned to me only a hundred fucking times." 

 

_"Why are you so mean?"_ The doctor whined. 

 

With a roll of his eyes, Levi waited until the elevators doors hissed open and he stepped out into the Wards. As soon as he stepped off the elevator, he noticed one of the various keepers from out of the corner of his eye. Those things were so creepy. 

 

"If I'm so mean, why do you insist on talking to me all the time?" he asked. 

 

_"If I annoy you as much as you say I do, why do you keep talking to me anyway?"_

 

Levi was silent as he couldn't quite come up with some kind of insulting retort to that. The doctor had bested him in this argument and Levi knew it was pointless to try and deny anything. Sucking his teeth softly, the Commander made his way toward the Citadel Tower where Erwin was supposed to be waiting for him. 

 

_"Alright, I won't force you to admit that you actually like me and want to be friends! Your silence to my question tells me everything I need to know. Anyway, I'll leave you alone now. I just saw you walk up to the tower elevator doors."_

 

"How did you--" Shifting his gray eyes around, the Commander caught a glimpse of wild, rust-brown hair before it disappeared behind a corner leading down into the wards. "You little creep." he hissed under his breath. "You've been tailing me ever since we fucking docked, haven't you?" 

 

Hanji's crazed laughter was the last thing he heard before he was forced to step onto the elevator that would take him inside the tower to meet the Council. He dreaded coming to the citadel for various reasons, but this by far was his worst visit. He hated the whole idea of this place, it creeped him out. It was basically an untouchable sanctuary in the middle of fucking nowhere where the Council could hide without any worries of a surprise attack on their lives because they were surrounded by C-Sec officers and Spectres. 

 

Oh, that was another reason Levi didn't want to become a spectre. He may have been able to do whatever the fuck he wanted without needing to worry about breaking some annoying law, but he would forever be branded as one of the Council's loyal dogs. The council said jump, he was supposed to say how fucking high. No thanks. 

 

True to his word, when the elevator doors opened and Levi stepped out into the large rotunda-like building, at the top of the stairs was none other than Human Ambassador Erwin J. Smith. Taking a deep breath and exhaling heavily, Levi made his way up step by step until he was face to face with Erwin who was still taller than ever and ripped to all hell. Even after retiring from the Alliance, he still carried an air of authority that most people found hard to ignore. Not Levi, though. Even when he was under Erwin's command, he didn't hesitate to show some form of disrespect toward him, Commanding Officer be damned. He couldn't even count how many times he was almost court marshaled because of insubordination but Erwin never seemed to take his disrespectful behavior personal. 

 

"Commander," the blond Ambassador greeted with a smile. 

 

"Smith," he greeted back with a slight nod. "Lets get this shit over with." 

 

"You're sure you won't reconsider the council's offer?" Erwin asked as he began leading Levi around a series of stunning displays, trees, and water fountains. This place reminded him of some kind of weird indoor park or something.

 

It still kind of creeped him out that there were plants and a fucking lake with real, living fish in it on the Citadel, but he tried to ignore the unnatural feeling he got every time he wandered the Presidium. The tower was quite busy with various other Politicians and Diplomats buzzing about, some eyeing Levi and the Ambassador with varying degrees of curiosity and awe.

 

"I'm sure." Levi grunted as he fell into step with the taller blond. "I'm Alliance first. Let some other poor fucker be the first Human Spectre." 

 

"Levi..." the Ambassador sighed in frustration. "I really wish you would reconsider. I went through great pains to put your name up for consideration." 

 

"I never asked you to do that shit." 

 

"It's a bit late for that now. Anyway, the media is already here. Try not to provoke the reporters again, hm?" 

 

"Hey, that damn reporter was fucking asking for it by shoving that damn mic in my face when I had already told her I was done with that fucking interview." 

 

"But did you have to punch her in the face on live video?" 

 

"Like I said. She was asking for it." 

 

Shaking his head and frowning, Erwin led Levi up another set of stairs, these steps larger and wider than the ones at the entrance of the elevator. As the Ambassador had warned, there was a rather large crowd already gathering in the anterooms and the last set of steps that led up to the audience chamber.

 

"Don't say a word." Erwin instructed him. "I'll handle any reporters who try to speak with you." 

 

"I don't have to take orders from you anymore." The raven grumbled under his breath, but in the end, he kept silent as they approached the group of reporters armed to the teeth with their damn video drones. 

 

"Ambassador Smith! Is it true you were the one who submitted Commander Levi's name for consideration for Spectre status?" 

 

"Of course." the blond answered easily. "The Commander has proven to be a truly great asset to the Alliance Navy and I believe he'd achieve even greater things if he had the resources of a Spectre."

 

"Ambassador! Some people believe that this is just a ploy for humanity to try and grab a seat on the Citadel Council? What are your comments on such allegations?" A Salarian reporter asked next. 

 

"Absolutely not." Erwin said with a chuckle. The sly bastard sure knew how to put that silver tongue of his to good use. It was no wonder he chose to join Politics after retiring early from the Alliance. "While this would certainly be a huge step forward for Humanity, for now, such rumors are nothing but idle gossip and should not be encouraged. I haven't a doubt that one day, Humanity will earn it's place on the council and we'll stand shoulder to shoulder with every other race in the galaxy on equal footing. That's my hope, anyway, but if you'll excuse us. The council is waiting." 

 

Erwin left the reporters in a frenzy as they all scurried to comment on his bold words but Levi on the other hand was simply rolling his eyes at the over dramatic display. 

 

"I'm sure the Council is going to _love_ that." he said sarcastically as he and Erwin approached the Petitioners Stage. Below them, Levi could see a lush garden protected by a thick layer of glass.

 

"Good. It'll keep them on their toes and show them I'm serious about securing the final spot on the council for Humanity." 

 

"I'd hate to be your enemy, Smith." 

 

"The feeling is mutual, Commander." 

 

"Ambassador Smith. Commander Levi." a voice boomed from above them, drawing their attention up where the three councilors towered over them. "You come before the Council in regards to your submission of Commander Levi's name for Spectre Status." 

 

The Turian Councilor addressed them first, an old war hero if Levi remembered correctly. No doubt someone who had participated in the First Contact War. His dislike for Humans dripped from every word he uttered, to the way he regarded them with a look of mild disinterest. "Why _should_ we consider letting a human become a spectre, Ambassador? So far, Humanity has done nothing to prove they're ready for such responsibility." 

 

"Is that your unbiased opinion, Councilor?" Erwin asked. 

 

The old Turian sniffed, his mandibles twitching with obvious annoyance. "It's a perfectly reasonable question, _Ambassador_." 

 

Levi could tell there was obviously some kind of beef between the old Turian and his former Commanding Officer, but he'd ask for the details later. 

 

"Yes," the [Salarian](http://pre10.deviantart.net/32b7/th/pre/i/2012/031/3/5/mass_effect_2__salarian_shadow_broker_mercenary_by_troodon80-d4o797j.jpg) councilor piped up next. "I have to agree. Humans haven't exactly shown us that they're capable of following rules, Ambassador. Rules set up so as to protect every species within the Terminus Systems." 

 

"Well, it's good that we're on the subject of protection, then. Are you aware that a human colony was attacked by Geth not a week ago?" 

 

"Geth?" the [Asari](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f9/c6/d8/f9c6d833c637c6f4811e51fbd4bce1b6.jpg) Councilor asked, skepticism in her tone as she eyed Erwin suspiciously before exchanging looks with the other two councilors. "That's not possible. The Geth haven't been sighted outside of the Perseus Veil in over 200 years."

 

"It is possible." Levi suddenly stepped up and spoke. "We have proof." Lifting his right arm to present the orange glow of his omni-tool, Levi began accessing the transmission from distress beacons on the colony along with the feed from his and his squads suit comms uploaded from the SSV Titan on the day of his last assignment. "That Colony was almost completely wiped out by Geth, the only survivors we were able to rescue being four young children." 

 

The three Councilors watched the feed from Levi's omni-tool on the giant vid screen before them, a tense silence falling over the audience chamber, not a single reporter or spectator dared to utter a word as they watched poor Alyssa get snatched and devoured alive by Husks. The Commander couldn't help but clench his hands into tight fists as he watched that scene for what felt like the millionth time by now. It still weighed heavily on his mind but not as heavy as the weight of his pistol behind his back. 

 

"I see..." the Turian Councilor spoke before clearing his throat. "Well, that's truly unfortunate to lose a colony of that many people, but, may I commend the Commander on a job well done. Speaking from a Military point of view, you made all the correct calls." 

 

"Are you fucking kidding me?" the raven muttered under his breath. 

 

"Levi--" Erwin warned him in a quiet tone. 

 

"That mission was an absolute fucking disaster and we lost a young girl and one of my crew members." Levi growled.

 

"On the contrary, Commander." the Turian Councilor spoke, hands locked behind his back as he regarded Levi with understanding in his copper eyes. The Commander didn't want his fucking understanding. "While you may have lost a member of your squad and one of the colonists, you managed to get the majority of them off that planet safely and that's what matters. You put the colonists first, and that shows true leadership." 

 

"Indeed." the Asari Councilor agreed. "I think we can all agree that this Mission is more than enough proof that you are ready for Spectre status." 

 

"Agreed." The Salarian Councilor added. "Commander, do you accept our offer?"

 

Levi couldn't believe what he was hearing. They wanted to give him a pat on the fucking back and a half-hearted 'Job-well-done' for failing to save all of the colonists and getting one of his own squad members killed? This was why he hated Politicians. No regard for anyone's lives accept for their own. 

 

"No." he said firmly, back straight and head held high as he regarded the council with nothing but contempt. "I refuse your offer." 

 

"Levi..." he heard Erwin sigh heavily under his breath.

 

The three Councilors seemed genuinely surprised by his answer, exchanging mildly shocked looks with one another before returning their attention to the Commander who was already turning his back to leave. 

 

"Don't be a fool, Commander." Levi heard the Turian Councilor call after him. "You'll never get another opportunity like this."

 

"No fucking thanks. My only concern is the safety of Earth's people, and the Geth. I don't need some glorified title to stop this coming invasion and I don't care if you believe us or not. The Geth are coming and they're bringing friends." 

 

Excited chatter began buzzing throughout the chambers as Levi left, reporters absolutely eating his words up and rushing after him to get interviews but the Commander was not having any of it. The first human to turn down an offer to become a Spectre. Levi liked the sound of that.

 

\-- Page Break --

 

It was hard for him to go anywhere on the Citadel after that display before the Council, but Levi was able to scare off most people who tried approaching him with a well placed glare or a simple "Fuck Off." which proved highly effective. 

There was nothing for him to do on the Citadel, really, but he figured he may as well just go to the shooting range to let off some steam. It was better than him going back to the ship and being questioned by his crew, or worse, scolded by Shadis. 

 

Speaking of the ship and it's crew... Hanji had been surprisingly quiet. No unexpected transmissions patched in through his omni-tool and no signs of a crazy scientist anywhere to be seen, which Levi found extremely odd. He figured they would be eating this shit up right now and freaking the fuck out over the crap he just pulled but so far... it was very peaceful and very silent as he made his way toward the Embassy Suites.

 

He hated coming here because it was full of nothing but more Diplomats and sleazy politicians but he recalled Hanji mentioning they were going to be meeting someone here and in a rare display of... camaraderie? Yes, camaraderie. He wanted to see if they'd like to join him in shooting at things to relieve some stress. Levi would never admit it but he'd already grown pretty accustomed to Dr. Zoe's eccentricities and loud, boisterous behavior. 

 

"Welcome to the Citadel. Please enjoy your stay." Avina the V.I. spoke as he passed. Levi never did like virtual intelligence programs. Too creepy. 

 

Glancing around the lobby, the commander saw no signs of Hanji anywhere, which led him to assume they were either in one of the suites with whomever it was they were meeting or they were in the lounge. While the idea of getting a drink at the lounge was an appealing one, the raven decided against it as he took a right up the stairs instead of a left. He was already here in the Embassy, he may as well drop in on Erwin and try to steal some of his good liquor. None of that Batarian shard wine or that other alien grade alcohol. Just good, old fashioned malt liquor.

 

Finding Erwin's 'office' was the easy part, the bastard had one of the largest suites in the embassy and Levi could only really guess why, so naturally he approached the largest fucking door and noticed it was locked. The commander found this only slightly odd, but it was possible that Erwin wasn't back from the tower yet. Well, that only worked out better in his favor because that meant it would be easier to steal Erwin's booze with him out. Activating his omni-tool, Levi began bypassing the lock pad and within seconds, the little red light turned bright green and the doors were hissing as they opened. 

 

As he walked into Erwin's office, he was immediately freezing as he saw something he would never be able to un-see for as long as he lived. Hanji laid out across Erwin's desk, their alliance fatigues gone, well, okay, _her_ alliance fatigues gone. At least that solved that little mystery. Erwin was hovering over the scientist, pants down and pooled around his ankles. He hadn't meant for it to come out, but it did. A snort of disbelieving laughter through his nose as the couple stared up at him in absolute horror. 

 

"Well... I guess you really were meeting a hot date." he said with a smug little smirk as the couple scrambled to make themselves decent. "The hot date just happened to be bushy brows, huh?" 

 

"How did you get in here?" Erwin huffed, cheeks impossibly red as he tucked himself back in and pulled his trousers up. "I'm positive I locked that door."

 

"I bypassed the lock." Levi admitted casually. "Not sure if I regret doing so yet or not. I mean, first of all, ew gross. I never wanted to see that but at the same time... I just learned something huge and answered a lot of my own questions I've had about you two for awhile." 

 

"You're not going to tell anyone... right?" Hanji asked hesitantly, brown eyes full of worry.

 

"That depends." the commander shrugged, arms moving to cross over his chest. "What do I get out of keeping this secret?" 

 

"You get to keep your job." Erwin grumbled through gritted teeth as he tried to smooth back some of his blond hair that had fallen into his eyes. 

 

"Nah." 

 

"I'll do your laundry for a year!" Hanji whined. 

 

"No fucking thanks. That's a losing situation for everyone. By the way, I can still see your tits." Levi scoffed. 

 

With a gasp of surprise, the brunette turned her back to Levi as she adjusted her clothes. To be honest, learning that Hanji was a woman wasn't anything all that surprising but he would be a liar if he hadn't questioned her gender a couple of times. Plus, it wasn't like she corrected anyone whenever they assumed her gender and used male or gender neutral pronouns.

 

"Alright," Erwin finally said, once he was somewhat put back together and a little less flushed. "What do you want, Levi? You obviously broke into my office for a reason." 

 

"Booze." was Levi's blunt answer. "I came to steal some of that specially imported Whiskey you have stashed in your wall safe." 

 

"How do you--" 

 

"Saw it the last time I was forced to come in and sit through one of your boring ass lectures about me being promoted to Commander and taking on new responsibilities, or whatever." 

 

"Right." the blond sighed. "If I offered to buy your silence with a bottle of that whiskey, what would you say?" 

 

Levi sucked his teeth loudly, "One bottle? No fucking way, Eyebrows."

 

"Okay-y-y-y..." Erwin drawled, frustration clear in his tone. "One bottle of my whiskey every month for the next year." he offered. 

 

The commander took a second to contemplate that offer, "Make it two years and I'll call it even." he shrugged. 

 

"Two years!?" Erwin squawked. Then he sighed heavily while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Fine. Yes, alright." 

 

Sniffing and straightening up, Levi walked past the desk that had had all it's contents shoved off leaving various documents and datapads on the ground as he passed. Upon reaching a far wall, he made quick work of bypassing the lock on the safe where he didn't hesitate to claim the brand new bottle of whiskey for himself before turning back and eyeing the flustered couple for a moment or two. 

 

"Why all the secrecy?" he finally asked, the curiosity getting the better of him despite his best efforts to seem completely uninterested in the subject. "I mean, I had my suspicions because it's not like the two of you were being all that fucking subtle but still." 

 

"It's... not exactly the best time for us to be coming out that we're in a relationship." Hanji said, looking uncharacteristically shy as she bit her bottom lip and kept her eyes glued to the floor. "I'm the one who urged Erwin to keep it a secret, for now. I didn't want our relationship to put any kind of strain on his position as Ambassador." 

 

"Like anyone really cares who you're fucking." Levi snorted. "But, okay, I guess I can understand that."

 

"Yes, well, now that you've gotten what you came for, please leave." Erwin frowned. 

 

"Oh, trust me." Levi said. "I'm fucking gone."

 

Without so much as a backward glance, the commander made his way out of Erwin's office with his new bottle of whiskey tucked underneath his arm. If he had a little extra spring in his step as he made his way back to the docking bay, no one said anything about it, nor would they ever dare to. So, maybe this latest trip to the Citadel wasn't completely horrible. At least he got himself some damn good booze for the next couple of years. That was a win in Levi's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a filler-ish chapter with some plot. Erwin and Hanji are totally becoming my new favorite thing.


	4. 20 To 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"♪ It's a cold, cruel, harsh reality  
>  Got stuck here with your enemies  
> Where did you think you could go? 'Cause everyone already knows  
> It's 20 to 1, yeah, so you better run ♪"_
> 
> **Enemies** \- **Shinedown**

He was outnumbered once again. Cornered and backed up against a wall. He told Mike and Nanaba to get on the shuttle and they had but he stayed behind. It wasn't like it was a suicide mission, nor did Levi have any intentions of getting himself killed, but he'd made the mistake of trusting in his squadmates abilities despite his better judgement and it had gotten Isabel and Farlan killed, then there was Flagon and that young girl from Krolva. 

 

No -- he was finished making that same fucking mistake. He wouldn't lose anyone else anymore. He would fight the geth alone if he had to, which is exactly what he was doing. They'd responded to yet another distress beacon from the planet Ehrmich and things were looking bad. They'd managed to save more survivors this time but this was the fifth Geth attack on a colony in the last week. Levi wasn't really all that surprised that the distress beacon was just a trap laid out by the geth and they walked straight into an ambush. These bastards were smarter than the commander originally gave them credit for. 

 

_"Commander, this is your Captain speaking. Get your ass out of there ASAP. That's an order, Marine!"_

 

"Negative, Shadis." Levi grunted, rolling out of cover behind the Mako and taking aim at a rather persistent rocket trooper. With one well-placed head-shot with his sniper rifle, Levi watched as another enemy went down. "I'm not leaving until I've killed every last one of these bastards." 

 

 _"Damn it, Levi! This isn't the time for you to play hero! We've got bigger problems. We've sighted a geth drop ship headed your way and you're out there solo!"_

 

Jumping back behind cover, Levi ejected his thermal clip and replaced it with a fresh one, checking to see what kind of rounds he had left, hopefully he had enough shredder rounds to finish the job. A geth drop ship meant Geth Armatures and those never meant anything good. 

 

"All the more reason for me to stay and take care of them! The colonists will be safe once I destroy that damn beacon and the geth ship." 

 

_"You're outnumbered, Commander."_

 

"Not for long..."

**\-- M --**

Upon returning to the Titan, Levi was absolutely exhausted. It showed all over as he dragged his tired body through the shuttle bay and into the elevator where he leaned heavily against the wall, head hanging forward, helmet tucked under his left arm. The protective visor had been cracked thanks to a Geth Destroyer rushing him and elbowing him straight in the face.

 

He wouldn't lie, for a second, he thought it was over for him. That synthetic elbow to the face was like a goddamn fucking lead pipe to the teeth and he remembered his vision blurring severely, nearly blacking out before he regained his senses and tried to shake off the disorientation. That Destroyer didn't go down, not without a tough fight but in the end, Levi won and that was how he had managed to shoot the geth drop ship out of the sky thanks to the mounted canon on the Mako. Granted, he was starting to feel the effects of that brutal fight now that the adrenaline was wearing off, not to mention how his ears were still fucking ringing but he'd deal with that later. Right now, he just needed a shower and desperately. 

 

Arriving to Deck 2, the doors opened for him and the commander was greeted by none other than Keith Shadis who had a deep frown on his face as he stood before the doors, hands locked behind his back.

 

"What the hell did you think you were doing out there, Commander?" the older man asked. 

 

Still a little disoriented, Levi lifted his head up with no little amount of effort and wiped at the blood running from his nose, smearing it across his upper lip as he continued to drip onto the floors. 

 

"I was doing my fucking job." he growled, voice dry and cracked. 

 

"You disobeyed a direct order from your Commanding Officer." Shadis corrected him. 

 

"Tch, get over it. I took care of that drop ship and ensured the safety of the colony." 

 

His Captain was silent at that, looking Levi over with a critical eye before the older man finally sighed, face showing his true age thanks to the severe wrinkles and bags under his eyes. Levi was sure he probably looked no better at the moment, covered in blood and dirt and who knows what the fuck else at the moment. He could taste gritty sand between his teeth and he grimaced.

 

"... You did." Shadis finally spoke. "Hell, if I were in your position, I probably would have done the same thing."

 

"Does that mean we can skip the whole formal reprimand so I can go and shower?" 

 

Exasperation clear on his face, Shadis finally stepped aside and allowed Levi to walk past. "Dismissed, Commander. Make sure you get any injuries looked over in the med-bay. Dr. Zoe is already waiting for you." 

 

"Fucking great." Levi huffed. He truly didn't have the energy to deal with her right now. What he needed was a hot shower, a cup of his favorite tea and a good sit down in his favorite chair in the observatory. 

 

Of course, he didn't get the chance to do anything beyond showering because Hanji cornered him as soon as he stepped out of the showers, along with Mike and Nanaba who all felt the great need to bitch him out for going solo and taking on all those Geth on his own. 

 

"Alright," Levi finally admitted, as he relaxed into a chair once his squad had dragged him into the observatory. His body was extremely sore so he winced a bit whenever he tried to get comfortable only for one of his bruised ribs to cause him pain just for taking a deep fucking breath. "Maybe taking on a geth drop ship on my own was fucking crazy, but I got the damn job done and nobody fucking died." 

 

" _YOU_ almost died, dumbass!" Hanji pointed out. The Commander was a ittle surprised with just how upset she was over this whole situation, but... he supposed it was nice to know she cared.

 

Levi simply sucked his teeth gently, "Get over it."

 

"Hanji's right, Commander." Nanaba piped up, which was so unusual of her. Normally she was pretty quiet. "You shouldn't have stayed behind on your own. That's what Mike and I are there for." 

 

Saying nothing to that, the raven-haired commander simply inclined his head back against the chair and closed his eyes. He was so tired. He almost felt like if he closed his eyes, he could actually sleep a full night. But, of course, that didn't happen. He dozed off for a bit, maybe an hour or two, but when his nap was over, Levi was alerted to a presence in the observatory with him and was immediately sitting up and reaching for a gun that wasn't there. Damn, he forgot to tuck his pistol away like he always did. He must have been more exhausted than he thought. 

 

"Easy there, Commander." came the booming voice of Keith Shadis. "It's just me." 

 

Turning his stiff neck to the left as best he could without wincing, Levi saw his Captain sitting at the illuminated mini bar, drink already in hand. With some struggle, Levi stood up from the chair he'd fallen asleep on and stretched, popping his stiff joints and rolling his neck until it cracked. Hurt like a mother fucker but he pushed past the pain. 

 

"You're actually drinking the shit they store on this ship?" he asked, approaching the mini bar and rounding the counter.

 

The other man snorted, "Do you have a better solution, Commander?"

 

Reaching down behind a secret little compartment behind the bar, Levi brought out his bottle of whiskey and Shadis seemed genuinely surprised for a brief moment. 

 

"Courtesy of Erwin." Levi said as he cracked the top and grabbed a tumbler for himself and for his Captain. 

 

"That's contraband." the older man across from him smirked, but did nothing to stop Levi as he served him a glass, neat. "I should have that confiscated from you."

 

"I won't tell if you won't." Levi shrugged as he poured his own glass and threw it back with ease. Hissing with the burn of the alcohol down his throat, Levi grunted when he felt it hit the pit of his stomach and settle there, warming him from the inside out. 

 

"...I'm going to retire soon, Levi."

 

At the sudden announcement, the commander shot his Captain a skeptical look but upon seeing the way the the man stared down at the dark brown liquid in his glass with some kind of distant melancholy in his eyes before he threw it back, Levi poured himself and Shadis another glass before he clinked his own glass against his Captain's. 

 

"It won't be the same without you." was all he said as he sipped his whiskey a little more slowly this time. 

 

"I've already chosen my replacement." the older man smirked, a mischievous glint in his dark eyes, crows feet plain to see. 

 

Setting his glass back down on the bar top, Levi eyed his superior officer suspiciously. "And?" 

 

"... There's no one else I'd rather see taking over my ship but you, Ackerman." 

 

Snorting, Levi tossed back the last of his whiskey. "You're crazy, old man. I'm not Captain material." he said. 

 

"That's where you and I disagree." Keith chuckled, taking a long sip of his own drink. "Your problem is that fear of leading a group of people to their deaths and for it to mean nothing." The heavy silence that followed Keith's assumptions was answer enough. He had hit the nail on the head. "I understand you more than you'd think, Levi. I was never cut out to be a Captain myself, but I've done it for the last twenty years and it doesn't get any easier."

 

"Erwin would disagree." the raven huffed. 

 

"Well, Erwin is a special case. He's not like me... just like another young man I know." 

 

"I say leave these types of jobs to the special ones like Erwin." 

 

Shadis laughed, which was an unusual sight in itself. "I never said you weren't special, Commander." 

 

"Sure," the shorter raven chuckled. "I'm special alright."

 

"You are." the older man nodded. "But your problem is you care too much." 

 

With a disbelieving scoff, Levi poured himself another glass of whiskey, his tense muscles already loose with the two glasses he already had. The alcohol was finally starting to set in. 

 

"Most people would say the opposite, don't you think?"

 

"Ah," Keith dismissed with a flippant wave of his hand. "That's just because of your damn aloof behavior and that famous poker face of yours. I've known you since you were just some punk ass teenager enlisting with the Alliance to get out of those damn slums back on Earth." 

 

"Must we speak of the past?" Levi grumbled. "This is why I prefer drinking alone." 

 

"You care, Levi." his Captain insisted with a stern look. "That's why I chose you as my replacement once I retire. This ship is yours." 

 

Levi wasn't quite sure what to say to that, so he said nothing and simply lifted his glass in the air for Keith to toast. They shared another drink in comfortable, companionable silence before curiosity finally got the better of Levi and he had to ask. 

 

"What do you plan on doing once you retire?" he asked. "I can't really see you taking some boring desk job pushing papers after everything you've done and seen." 

 

Shadis gave a throaty chuckle. "You kidding me? I would sooner shoot myself in the foot before I took some boring desk job. No, I plan on spending some time with an old friend." 

 

"A friend, or a _friend_?" the commander smirked. 

 

"Nothing like that." his Captain sighed. "I have cared for her a great deal in the past but, it never happened. She has a son with someone else." 

 

"Mm." Levi hummed. That sounded complicated. "Sorry I asked." 

 

"It's fine." the older man huffed. "I'm quite fond of the kid, to be honest. His father hasn't exactly been around for him the way he should so I guess I've sort of filled that spot for him. I've watched him grow into a fine young man and last I heard, he enlisted with the Alliance and is currently going through his final weeks of boot camp." 

 

"This is the first time I've ever heard you mention him." 

 

"Mm," Keith hummed back. "He's a good kid -- Special, just like you and Erwin. He's going to do great things and go far in life."

 

"Here's hoping." Levi said. 

 

"Who knows, you may end up becoming his commanding officer one day." the older man joked. 

 

"You'd better hope not. We both know I'm a hardass." 

 

Shadis laughed loudly. "That's what makes it all the better!" 

 

Shaking his head, Levi couldn't help but smile to himself as he got comfortable on the chair he fell asleep in earlier. The ship was blissfully quiet, most of the crew sleeping by now. With a grunt, Levi watched as his Captain peeled himself off the stool he'd been sitting on for the past hour or so before setting his glass down on the bar top and abandoning it. 

 

"But, I think that's enough for one evening." the older man announced, looking wearier than Levi had ever seen him look before. "Do me a favor and try not to go on anymore solo suicide missions." 

 

"No guarantees." 

 

"You're impossible." Shadis sighed, though Levi could still see hints of a smile on his lips. "Thanks for the Whiskey, Commander. I owe you a drink." 

 

"Four, to be exact."

 

The last thing Levi heard as his Captain left the observatory was his quiet chuckles following him out into the corridor before the automatic doors hissed and shut behind him. Finally, alone to himself, Levi got as comfortable as he could in his chair and allowed his eyes to fall shut. With the alcohol in his system warming him up, it was impossible for him to resist the temptation of sleep. It was little moments like these that Levi tried his best to take advantage of as often as he could, because soon moments like these would be rare.

**\-- M --**

Just as Levi predicted, not even a week later and shit was about to hit the fan once more. They'd been fighting small geth incursions for weeks while rooting out a lot of their hidden bases on various planets in various systems, but it wasn't until Hanji came bursting into the comm room one day while Levi and Shadis were trying to come up with battle strategies for their next ambush that things would get a hell of a lot more complicated from here.

 

"RACHNI!!" the scientist all but screeched as they slammed their hands on the table top. 

 

"Tch, what the hell is wrong with you now?" Levi growled. 

 

"Oh, sorry for the interruption Cap'n but I just discovered something major!" the brunette said, eyes wide, almost frantic. "We've got bigger things to worry about aside from Geth." 

 

"Explain, Zoe." Shadis demanded. 

 

Levi and his Commanding Officer straightened up from their positions hunched over the table where a battle plan was already being laid out for their next attack on the planet Trost in the Rose System. 

 

"We've received reports of Rachni spotted nearby!" 

 

"Rachni?" Shadis frowned in confusion. "But, the Rachni are extinct." 

 

"I thought so too!" the brunette said with a fierce shake of her head. "I know the whole story. The Rachni Wars were started over 2,100 years ago and were quickly recognized as an unstoppable threat by the Council who then sicced the Krogan on them after centuries of war and in the end the Krogan won by using their overwhelming numbers and brutality, hence, the extinction of the Rachni!" 

 

"If you know the story, why the fuck are you even bringing this shit up? You're starting to sound even more crazy than you already are." Levi scoffed. 

 

Shooting Levi a halfhearted glare, the scientist straightened up while adjusting the glasses on her face that had begun to slide down the bridge of her nose. 

 

"I know I can be eccentric at times, Commander, but I'm not crazy. I'm positive what I've discovered is a dormant Rachni nest, and a team of Cerberus Scientists are currently being attacked." 

 

"Was there a transmission?" Shadis asked, no hints of doubt in his voice. "Did they give coordinates to their position?" 

 

Without needing to answer, Hanji was quickly rounding the table to reach the command pad to bring up the transmission picked up by the Titans scanners as they passed over the small, rocky planet below. It was full of static and broken up in several pieces, but there was no denying the Cerberus team was in some kind of trouble and the name 'Rachni' could clearly be picked up. Levi still had his doubts about it being Rachni, but, he pushed those thoughts away for now. 

 

"I'm suiting up." was all the Commander said as he started a brisk walk toward the doors. 

 

"Levi! I'm coming with you!" Hanji urged while following after him.

 

"No." The raven said firmly. "Your ass stays on this ship." 

 

"No way!" the brunette cried out. "I'm the only one on this ship who knows anything about Cerberus and the Rachni! You need me!" 

 

"No." Levi repeated. 

 

"Commander," Keith Shadis sighed. "Dr. Zoe has a point. I'm ordering you to take her with you."

 

"But--" 

 

"No backtalk, Commander. Just do as you're told."

 

"Tch! Fine, hurry the hell up, Zoe. If you slow me down, I'll kick your ass." 

 

"Aye, aye, Commander! You won't have to worry about me! I can handle myself!" the brunette chirped excitedly before racing off ahead of him. 

 

Levi simply let out a long, heavy sigh. "I have a bad feeling about this."

**\-- M --**

Touching groundside on the rocky planet, Levi and his squad navigated their way toward the navpoint inside the Mako. It wasn't the smoothest of rides, with Mike behind the controls it could be worse, Levi supposed but for now, he honed in on the scientist who had insisted on coming along.

 

"So, give it to us straight, Hanji. What's the story behind Cerberus? Why are they here and what the hell would they be doing messing around with Rachni, if that's the case." 

 

Sighing, the brunette sat up in her seat and met the other soldier's curious gazes. "Well, that depends on how you look at it. What's the story behind the secretive organization known as Cerberus? Personally, I would sum them up in two words: Xenophobic Terrorists, but some people don't see them that way." 

 

"Xenphobic?" Nanaba asked. "They don't like Aliens?" 

 

"Again, that's only some people's opinion." Hanji elaborated. "Mine included, but, for others Cerberus was and still is a Pro-Human Organization with Humanity's best interests at hand. Maybe they started out that way, years ago, but one thing I know for sure, they're sick and twisted experiments definitely don't stand for Humanity's best interests." 

 

"What kind of sick and twisted experiments?" Levi asked next. 

 

"Human test subjects." they spat venomously. "I won't lie, some of the things Cerberus has been able to accomplish are incredible, but the means by which they achieve these results are monstrous. I wouldn't underestimate them."

 

"Human test subjects? What do you mean?"

 

"Just as I said. They use humans to test out their insane experiments with no regard to anyone's lives." Levi could see a disturbed look in the scientist's eyes as she seemed to get lost in a memory. "There was... a colony, small but thriving, about two or three years ago. The Alliance frigate I was stationed on at that time had been assigned to investigate anything having to do with Cerberus. Erwin's been tracking them for awhile and with good reason." 

 

"That figures." Levi said with a soft snort. "I always knew Erwin kept secrets about the missions he sometimes oversaw while I was under his command but he was always a closed book about that shit." 

 

"It wasn't like he was keeping this secret from you because of some selfish, ulterior motive, Levi." Hanji frowned. "Erwin was genuinely concerned about the movements of this group after having heard some terrible rumors. We were a small team of soldiers and scientists sent to investigate them, some of my colleagues even going undercover and joining Cerberus and feeding us information from the inside but... they were always discovered in the end." 

 

"So, what happened to that colony you mentioned before?" the blonde across from Hanji asked with a slight frown of her own. 

 

"... It turned out they were the unfortunate test subjects of one of Cerberus's sick experiments, species 37, they called it. It was some kind of ancient plant they discovered living underneath the colony. Apparently, it had been living there for years, probably since the time of the Protheans. There was no way to know it was even there, until Cerberus discovered something odd about the foundation near the colony. Long story, short, they found the Thorian and began testing it's effects on the colonists immediately instead of evacuating them." 

 

Nanaba and Mike exchanged looks of mild disturbance before Hanji continued. 

 

"It turned out species 37, the thorian... it was _alive_ \-- Completely sentient and able to control the minds of the colonists. The colonists weren't aware of the mind-control, at first, but by the time my team arrived at the colony to aid them after they sent out a distress signal, the thorian had already taken over their minds and driven most of them crazy. We could tell that something wasn't right..." 

 

Hanji fell silent for a long moment, the commander easily pinpointing the haunted look on her face as he did her best to power through her memories which were no doubt horrifying. He already knew how this story ended. 

 

"So, you executed an entire colony because they were beyond help, in the end." he finished for her. Closing her eyes, the scientist hung her head in shame while her hands gripped at the shotgun in her hands. "That sounds like something Erwin would come up with." the Commander muttered under his breath. It was one of his only qualms with working under Erwin Smith back then. The man was absolutely ruthless when he needed to be.

 

"... We had to." Hanji said, voice uncharacteristically soft and quiet. "The colonists started to attack us once we discovered the Thorian. So much death... I wish there had been a way to avoid it." 

 

"Shit happens." Levi said, though he could definitely empathize with how Hanji was feeling, there was no point in dwelling on it now. "It was your life or theirs." 

 

"That doesn't make it right!" she snapped. 

 

"I never said it did." 

 

Sighing heavily, Hanji wiped a stray tear from her eye before sitting up straight once more. A determined look on her face now. 

 

"After that incident, we learned that Cerberus was behind the entire thing and from that day I vowed not to be angry at myself over what happened. The ones I should take my anger out on is Cerberus."

 

A strange sense of pride swelled inside Levi's chest at Hanji's words, and without much thought he leaned across from his seat and placed a hand on her shoulder before squeezing it firmly. Her large, brown eyes locked with his own grays and without a word needing to be uttered, she understood the meaning behind the subtle gesture and she smiled. 

 

"ETA, two minutes, Commander." Mike suddenly announced. "Things already look hairy out there." 

 

Sitting back in his own seat, Levi and his squad immediately got focused and started checking their weapons to make sure they were prepared and ready to go at a moments notice. 

 

"Give me a report, Major. What do you see?" 

 

"I can see the team of Cerberus Scientists up ahead, also I can see the entrance to what looks like an underground facility." 

 

"I hear gunfire." Nanaba pointed out. 

 

"Yeah, they're shooting at something but I can't see what it is from this distance."

 

"Don't get too close." Levi instructed. "Keep a good distance and we'll go on foot from here."

 

"Aye, Aye, sir." 

 

Parking the tank a good distance away from the open encampment, Levi and his squad exited the bulky vehicle and fell into a familiar formation, Levi at the head leading the group, breather helmet in place as they moved quickly but stealthily. 

 

'What the hell are they attacking?" Mike murmured through his helmet's comm. "I can't see anything." 

 

"We'll have to get closer." Levi said, though the idea of getting closer to an unknown enemy that they couldn't even see was highly unnerving but they didn't really have a choice. "Zoe, stay close to the center of the formation." 

 

"Yes, Commander." 

 

As they moved closer, the sound of screams and gunfire could be heard more clearly, and to Hanji's surprise, the enemy was a lot smaller than they originally expected to be. Skittering across the rocky terrain were dozens and dozens of tiny, green insect-like creatures that seemed to explode on contact with their target. Levi and his squad watched on in mild shock as the tiny creatures ran up to one of the scientists and promptly lunged toward them before exploding and coating the man in a green, acidic substance that immediately started burning through what little armor the man did have. He screamed out in pain and agony before he fell to his knees and convulsed. 

 

"Poison." Hanji breathed from behind him. "These must be Rachni Workers." 

 

"What the fuck are Rachni workers?" Levi growled, eyes still glued to the sight of other scientists making the mistake of trying to shoot the little creatures only for them to explode and splatter them with more acidic poison. 

 

"Just as the name implies." Dr. Zoe explained, though Levi could tell they were mildly awed by the sight of the tiny little creatures. "They're weak but it looks like their blood is acidic and can eat through most material." 

 

"What about our armor?" Mike grumbled. "Are we safe?" 

 

"Hard to tell at this point. Best we keep a distance." Hanji suggested. 

 

"Agreed." Levi huffed. "Nanaba, think you can use your biotics to kill some of those little bastards?" 

 

"Aye, Commander. I should be able to take care of a few of them with my Throw."

 

True to her word, Nanaba stepped forward, the rest of Levi's squad standing a distance away while Nanaba readied her Throw and aimed for a small horde of Rachni workers. With a grunt, a bluish energy surrounded Nanaba's right hand as she pushed her mass effect field forward thrusting it toward the workers and knocking most of them back, causing them to explode. The screams had stopped, with none of the scientists having survived their encounters with the workers. Nanaba continued to use her throw against the workers, stopping only briefly when she needed to recharge her powers. Levi then stepped in and shot whatever stragglers he could with his sniper rifle.

 

"It looks like we're all clear, Commander." Mike said from his right. "I suggest we head into that facility before any more show up."

 

"Agreed, Major. Let's move out. Keep your eyes and ears sharp. We don't know whats down there."

 

"Aye, Aye, Commander!"

**\-- M --**

It was worse than Levi anticipated. The facility had been eerily quiet upon them entering and removing their breather helmets, which was even more unsettling. Yet, as they moved further into the underground compound, their scanners picked up enemy readings all around them in the next rooms. The way the red dots moved about, it was unnatural and disturbing.

 

"Alright," Levi said, taking a moment to breath in slowly and release it sharply. "Looks like things are about to get messy."

 

"Commander," Hanji breathed quietly. "Might I suggest using Nanaba's biotics for the Rachni? It seems like the best option considering she's the only one who's armor is outfitted with poision resistance." 

 

While Levi didn't like the idea of letting Nanaba head the team, simply because he knew they were going up against a new and unknown enemy, he didn't want to have another repeat of what happened to Flagon. His head was screaming at him to shoot down Hanji's suggestion but his more reasonable side agreed that her powers as an adept would be effective against an enemy they wanted to keep at a distance at all costs. With a suck of his teeth, Levi gestured her forward with a jerk of his head. 

 

"Take caution, Lieutenant." Levi warned in a low voice. "I don't need anyone dying on me."

 

"I've got this, Commander." the blonde nodded. As they approached a door, Levi was both annoyed and relieved to find that these doors were not automatic and they needed to walk up to the green button and press it to open the door manually. "Why aren't these doors locked or secured?" he heard Nanaba murmur to herself as she moved forward while putting up a biotic barrier. Good, she was being smart about this. 

 

"Good question." Hanji said from the rear. "If the scientists were trying to hide from the Rachni, then why didn't they lock the doors?"

 

"Maybe they weren't expecting an attack from outside." Mike supplied with his own theory. "Maybe... the problem was internal." 

 

"Focus." Levi snapped at them. "We don't know what's beyond that door. Be ready." 

 

He received no verbal reply from his squad but he didn't need to in order to know that they understood the danger they were all in. As Nanaba reached the last door, Mike and Levi moved up to press their backs against the frame of the door, taking strategic cover and preparing for the on-coming fire fight that was sure to break out as soon as they opened that door. 

 

Levi watched as Nanaba's hand raised to press the illuminated green button for the door but it was like he was watching her do it in slow motion, Adrenaline kicking in already. As the door hissed and opened, Nanaba's barrier was immediately attack by a trio of zombie-looking creatures that screeched and moaned in pain as they charged at her barrier and scratched at it. They were horrifying looking creatures, skin a brownish-gray in color and no distinguishable features to them other than their sunken eyes and their wide mouths. 

 

"Thorian Creepers!" Hanji gasped out from behind before taking aim and firing past Nanaba's barrier. Two of the creepers were blasted away by the sheer force of the heavy-duty shotgun in the Scientist's possession but that still left the one creeper that continued to claw and gnaw at Nanaba's weakening barrier. 

 

"What the hell are those things!?" Mike yelled as he used melee attack to elbow the creeper away a distance. Taking out his heavy-pistol, he shot it straight in the chest causing it to explode in a dark green mess. "Shit, we've got more incoming!" 

 

"They're Thorian Creepers. Thralls controlled by that plant I mentioned to you earlier." 

 

"I thought you destroyed that thing!" Levi grunted, using his sniper rifle to take out oncoming creeper from afar. 

 

"We did!" Hanji screamed. "I don't understand... why are there Thorian Creepers here of all places?" 

 

"Figure it out later! We've got more incoming." 

 

"Fuck, what are those things?" 

 

The trio of soldiers that moved forward into an open room with strange equipment mounted against the walls did their best to fight off the rushing creepers but were a bit shocked by the sight of the giant, red insect-like bugs that began crawling toward them. There were at least six of them, all with wispy tendrils that shot some type of poison at them. 

 

Nanaba did her best to use her Lift and Throw to take care of the Rachni while Levi and Mike handled the Creepers that kept rushing at them. Hanji supplied backup for Nanaba who did her best to keep up a barrier when she could but things started looking bad when her powers needed cooling down. 

 

"We'll be overwhelmed at this rate!" Levi could already hear the exhaustion in Hanji's voice as she continued to fire off her shotgun at a slow rate. 

 

"Fall back toward the entrance. We're sitting ducks in this corridor." Came Levi's instruction.

 

Doing as they were told, Hanji and Nanaba were the first to start retreating toward the antechamber where they first entered the facility, having more space and the advantage there. Levi and Mike followed, making sure their enemies kept a distance as they continued to fire. 

 

"Shit, I'm running low on clips." Mike growled. 

 

"I saw some clips lying around near the entrance, Major. Grab them quick and reload." 

 

"Yes, sir!" 

 

There were still too many enemies showing up on their scanner and Levi was starting to think they were better off just bombing the whole place to hell. 

 

"This is fucking endless." he huffed. Just as he said this, a Creeper appeared out of nowhere and lunged at him knocking his Assault Rifle out of his hands. "Fuck!" Reaching for his pistol, the Commander used the blunt end of the grip to beat the creeper off of him. Once the creature released him, Levi used his elbow and smashed it against the Creepers head, crushing it with a sickening crunch. 

 

 _"Commander, this is the SSV Titan. You've been ordered to retreat back to the ship."_

 

"Under who's goddamn orders?" Levi growled into his comm. 

 

_"The order comes from Fleet Admiral Darius Zackly, Commander."_

 

Levi found this extremely odd, "Where's Shadis?"

 

 _"The Captain is no longer in command of this vessel, Commander."_ a new and vaguely familiar voice beeped in. No doubt, it was the Admiral. _"You are to abort this mission and return to take his place immediately. "_

 

"Levi!" Mike called from behind him. "Orders, sir?" 

 

Looking out over the sea of Rachni and Creepers before him, the raven-haired Commander grit his teeth and moved to smash his gloved fist against the control panel for the door, effectively shutting it and jamming the mechanisms in the process. With the creatures all trapped behind that malfunctioning door, Levi was now able to turn and rejoin his squad who were all run ragged by this point. He belatedly noticed that Mike's armor had been partially eaten through by the acidic poison shot from the tendrils of the Rachni and he was going to need medical attention soon. 

 

"I don't know what the fuck is going on but we're retreating." he said through gritted teeth and with no little amount of reluctance. He hated leaving things unresolved, but apparently something was going down on his ship and he needed to find out what. "Fall back to the Mako, on the double!" 

 

"Aye, Aye, sir!"

**\-- M --**

Back in the safety of the Cargo Bay, Levi noticed how oddly quiet Hanji was being. She looked a little shaken but otherwise, there was a intense look of confusion and anger on her face as she moved toward her weapons locker.

 

"You look like you need to take a rowdy shit." he commented casually as he joined her at the lockers.

 

"..." Met with Hanji's stubborn silence, Levi sucked his teeth in annoyance.

 

"Spit it out." He ordered.

 

"... I'm just trying to wrap my head around what we saw inside that facility, Levi. No matter how I look at it, there should not be Rachni, let alone Thorian Creepers. The Rachni were supposed to be extinct and the Thorian was destroyed. I saw it for myself." 

 

He could tell just how bothered she was by all these unanswered questions and while he wouldn't mind getting an explanation himself for all the shit they'd just discovered in one fucking facility that was clearly owned and run by Cerberus, he couldn't let himself be drowned in the endless questions that he knew would probably never be answered right now.

 

"I know you're upset about this." he started. "But, don't let it eat you up. We still have a bigger and more important mission to worry about. To be more precise, we have a fucking war to stop." 

 

Sighing heavily, Hanji closed her eyes and rolled her neck from side to side. "You're right." she said. "You're right... I just-- I hate not knowing!" 

 

Snorting quietly, Levi gently smacked her on the back of her head earning him an outraged 'Hey!' and an exaggerated pout from the woman as he turned to leave. 

 

"Nobody said we're going to leave this shit unresolved. I'm just as determined as you are to take care of this problem, but first we take care of the Geth." he said. 

 

As he made his way toward the elevator, the intercom buzzed to life and not surprisingly he was being summoned to the comm room. 

 

_"Commander, Admiral Zackly is available on vid comm. He'll be waiting for you."_

 

"Tch, I'm on my way." he answered with no little amount of irritation in his tone. Just what the fuck was going on? Why was Shadis suddenly missing and why did Zackly want him to abort that last mission? 

 

As he made his way up to the CIC, Levi couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. Why else would the fucking Fleet Admiral request anything of him? Levi had only ever met the man on two separate occasions since joining the Alliance, both times he was in the presence of either Erwin or Shadis. As he made his way through the CIC towards the comm room, Levi could sense the unrest from the crew as they all shot him curious stares and murmured quietly. Definitely not a good sign. 

 

 _"Commander,"_ he was greeted curtly by none other than Admiral Zackly as he entered the comm room. The doors hissed shut behind him and Levi removed his breather helmet, having no time to remove his armor before being summoned. _"We have a grave situation brewing on the Citadel."_ the older man announced. 

 

"What do you mean?" Levi asked, pushing back his sweat-damp fringe as he tried to get answers. "Where is Captain Shadis? Why isn't he here?" 

 

The holographic image of the Admiral could be seen frowning in disapproval towards Levi's questions but the Commander didn't give a fuck. He needed to understand the situation. 

 

 _"Captain Shadis abandoned his post here on the SSV Titan against my orders and has been effectively removed as the commander of this vessel."_ Zackly said. 

 

"Abandoned?" Levi scoffed. "Bullshit. Shadis wouldn't abandon his ship and crew, especially not while my squad and I were groundside."

 

_"Whether you believe my words or not, Commander, the fact remains that Capt. Shadis is gone and you are now in charge of this ship."_

 

Slamming his hands down on the table, Levi had had enough of all this fucking deflecting. "I need a better fucking explanation than that!" he demanded.

 

Zackly ignored his outburst and simply continued to issue out orders, much to Levi's chagrin. _"You are to head to the Citadel immediately. We've received reports of a large Geth attack and now we've lost contact with our Embassy along with many of the others."_

 

"What about Erwin?" Levi huffed. "You're telling me you can't get in touch with him at all?" 

 

 _"We can't reach him, nor anyone else on the Citadel, Commander. Which is why we're led to believe the Geth have already started attacking, though we do not know the reason."_

 

"Fuck..." the commander hissed under his breath. This was all too much and too little to go on at once. He still didn't understand what was going on, but, like a true alliance soldier his duty was to serve. "Fine. I'll set a course for the Citadel immediately, but that doesn't mean our conversation concerning Shadis is fucking over." he threatened. "I wanted answers, Admiral."

 

 _"Be careful, Commander."_ came the old man's warning. _"Soldiers such as yourself are easily replaceab--"_

 

The transmission was abruptly ended, Levi having been the one to end it as he let out a frustrated sigh through his nose and clenched his hands at his sides. He needed to know what happened to Shadis, but they had more pressing matters at hand. The Geth were attacking the Citadel and Erwin couldn't be reached. This was it. The final battle he had been waiting for all these weeks.

 

"Helmsman," Levi beeped through the intercom. 

 

 _"Yes, Commander?"_

 

"Set a course for the Citadel, asap." 

 

_"Aye, Aye, sir."_

 

This is where he would finally put an end to the Geth and their Reaper masters. He was ready. He had always been ready. The Reapers would know his name, and fear him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies in advance for the slow updates for this fic. I've got majority of the chapters already pre-written but some of them still need editing and reviewing, but I haven't exactly had the time to work on anything because of adult life and work and a lot of other shitty things. 
> 
> Also, I apologize for not linking references to some of the alien races in this chapter. My laptop isn't exactly cooperating with me lately and I'm just trying to post these chapters as quickly as possible.


	5. Do Or Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"♪ We are the ones who will never be broken_   
>  _With our final breath, we'll fight to the death_   
>  _We are soldiers, we are soldiers!_   
>  _We are the ones who will not go unspoken_   
>  _No, we will not sleep, we are not sheep_   
>  _We are soldiers, we are soldiers! ♪"_
> 
>  
> 
> **Soldiers** \- **Otherwise**

The Citadel was in absolute chaos when Levi and his crew arrived. The empty space surrounding the large fortress was littered with evacuation ships and shuttles as well as battleships and dreadnoughts. It was an all out firefight with civilian ships caught in-between as the Geth mercilessly ripped through anything in their way. 

_"SSV Titan, this is Rear Fleet Admiral Nile Dok. Do you read me?"_

"We read you, Dok. What's the situation here?" 

_"... It's not good, Levi. We've lost contact with the citadel and geth dreadnoughts aside, look at the massive unknown enemy ship perched on the citadel tower."_

"Helmsman," Levi barked. "Take us in closer and watch those turrets." 

"Aye, aye, Commander!"

The arms of the Citadel were closing, although much too slowly and the Titan was able to slip in swiftly and almost undetected. That was thanks to the other Alliance battleships engaging with the enemy and drawing their fire away from Levi and his crew. 

_"We don't know what the hell that thing is, Commander, but Zackly has already notified us to cover you and your crew at all costs. Get to that tower!"_

From behind him, Levi could hear Hanji approaching the CIC. "What's going on?" she asked. 

"A lot of shit, that's what." the Commander huffed. "We're heading into the station. Our official objective is to wipe out the Geth already attacking and save the Citadel Council who are trapped somewhere on the station, but I'm not just going to forget about Erwin and the others." He said. "Zackly can eat shit if he thinks I'm going to abandon other possible survivors for the sake of saving three fucking councilors." 

The grateful look he received from the brunette was enough to tell Levi what he needed to know, along with the way Hanji reached over and gripped his bicep in a subtle action that showed her gratitude. She was clearly worried about Erwin and whether or not that blond bastard was even still alive, but Levi knew better. Erwin was too smart to go out this easily. He wasn't known as the best damn war strategist in the Alliance Navy for nothing. 

"Flight-Lieutenant, drop us as close as you can to the Presidium. We're going groundside." 

"Yes, sir! We'll provide support for the other Alliance ships while we await your orders." 

"Good. Hanji..." turning to face the brunette, Levi placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Stay here. I'm putting you in charge of the deck while I'm gone." 

Blinking at him in surprise, Hanji swallowed. "Wait... can you do that? I'm just a scientist, I'm not a soldier." 

"It's my ship." Levi smirked. "Just, try not to crash it into anything while I'm gone." 

Snorting, the brunette swatted at him playfully but Levi could see that he was already helping to alleviate some of the worry and tension in her body. 

"Thanks, Levi." she said softly. 

Nodding his head in acknowledgement, the Commander turned and started back down the bridge toward the CIC while beeping for his squad to get ready to depart. Luckily for him, Mike and Nanaba were still down in the Cargo Bay and already suited up by the time he got down there.

"You get that injury looked at, Major?" Levi asked upon seeing Mike, Armor still bearing a small but very noticeable burn near his rib cage.

Mike gave a solemn nod of his head, though gave no verbal response. He was odd like that. Nanaba on the other hand looked just the tiniest bit anxious, which Levi found strange. The woman was usually so calm, no matter what they faced. 

"Lieutenant?" he prompted with a sharp stare. 

"It's nothing, Commander." she mumbled. "Just... eager to get out there and find survivors." 

Ah, Levi understood now. "Family?" was all he asked. 

Nanaba looked reluctant to answer at first, but eventually she caved. "Yes, sir. My mother and younger sister."

"We'll find them, Nanaba." 

Flashing him a thankful look, Levi watched as she relaxed just a tiny bit so that her body wasn't so tightly wound anymore. The last thing he needed was an anxious, trigger happy marine who fired at any little thing because of nerves. That was something he had learned a long time ago.

"Alright, we've got our objective. When we land, it won't be pretty so prepare yourselves for impact. Once we're on the station, stay in formation and try not to break it." The raven-haired commander ordered, though it was unnecessary. His Squad were professionals after all and he worked well with them.

"Aye, aye, sir!"

"Move out!"

\-- M --

The closest they were able to land the Mako, if " _landing_ " was even the proper term to use in this scenario, was near the Presidium Wards, which was a halfway point between the Embassy Suits and the Citadel Tower. It was no surprise that the streets and bridges were empty with the blaring of the emergency alarm in the background as Levi and his squad exited the tank. Shaking off the disorientation from the bumpy landing, his squad easily fell into a familiar 'V' formation as Levi pulled out his Sniper Rifle and used the scope to map out the immediate area.

"Uh... Levi." Mike suddenly spoke, his voice oddly amazed. "You'd better turn around and look at this." he said. 

Doing as Mike instructed, Levi lowered his Sniper Rifle and slowly turned to see what it was that was in such urgent need of his attention. As he turned, he belatedly noticed the bright neon blue glow of what couldn't be anything other than that of a small but very much functional [Mass Relay](http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/masseffect/images/b/bd/Mass_Relay_Loading_Screen.png/revision/latest?cb=20091008131213) that stood in the center of the lake. 

"You're fucking kidding me." he grumbled under his breath. "That explains how the bastards were getting in despite the fleet of battleships waiting for them outside." 

"What should we do?" Nanaba asked. "We can't just leave that thing here. More Geth will come pouring through if we do." 

"I've got this." Mike said with a smirk as he pulled out a missile launcher from his back. 

"Isn't that--" Levi started. 

"One of Dr. Zoe's experimental weapons? Yeah." the blond giant chuckled. "I haven't had the pleasure of using this little baby just yet but Hanji tells me it packs a hell of a punch." 

Nanaba and Levi exchanged similar wary glances before the two shorter members of the squad turned and ran for cover behind a nearby wall. Without much of a warning, Mike powered up the missile launcher, a high frequency whirring could be heard as he looked through the scope and aimed for the very core of the Mass Relay.

"This is gonna get messy." Mike murmured just before firing a single shell toward the large structure and turning to run for cover himself. He did a barrel roll straight off the bridge they were standing on and plunged into the shallow water below just before the missile made contact with the Mass Relay and blew it to all hell. 

The explosion was equal to that of a small dying star, Levi reasons, as he did his best to shield himself from the bright flash of light and the silent blast that left his ears ringing for a bit. The explosion shook the ground and caused the mass relay to topple over into the lake, meanwhile, Mike waded over to the edge of the walkway, pulling himself up and out of the water with no little amount of effort. The Commander could hear him panting with exhaustion as he took a few moments to rest.

"Mike!" Nanaba cried in worry as she rushed to his side. 

"I'm fine," the blond coughed, having inhaled some water but otherwise he was unscathed. "Just swallowed some water." 

Punching him in the arm, Nanaba huffed before standing up and crossing her arms. "You could have gotten yourself seriously injured." she grumbled. 

Levi watched the exchange between his two squadmates with mild interest before his scanner started picking up enemy readings. That had him readying for an oncoming attack as he raised his sniper rifle to use the scope. 

"Heads up, lovebirds." the Commander alerted. "We've got incoming Husks and a small handful of Geth Troopers headed straight for us."

Like the hardened soldiers they were, Mike and Nanaba were standing to attention and readying their own weapons, Nanaba already charging up her biotics while the squad fell into their previous formation.

"How many do you see, Levi?" Mike asked.

"A small horde of Husks. Ten or fifteen of them, it's hard to say. Six Geth Troopers."

"I'll use my Singularity on the main bulk of the horde." Nanaba suggested. 

"Good. That will make the enemy a little less overwhelming to deal with." 

Just as The Commander and his team were about to engage the enemy, they were surprised when a landmine went off right before them, causing the horde of husks to blow up in a similar fashion to the mass relay, debris and shrapnel flying in all directions and bouncing off Levi's visor. A familiar figure rolled out of cover in order to pick off the last couple of Geth Troopers that hadn't quite gone down due to the explosion. 

"Erwin?" Levi said before he even realized he had spoken. 

Turning in response to his name, the blond Ambassador looked like he'd seen better days and the first thing the Commander's eyes were drawn to was the pistol held in the man's left hand while a concerning amount of blood stained the right sleeve of his arm, the appendage hanging a little too limply to be brushed off as a minor flesh wound. Erwin was severely injured, though he was doing his best not to let it show.

"You're late, Levi." the Ambassador chuckled tiredly. "I'm beginning to think you're losing your edge."

In any other situation, Levi might have risen to the bait of Erwin's taunts but not this time. There was no way that bastard was going to distract him from the fact that he was badly injured. 

"Me?" Levi scoffed as he approached the blond, noticing the way he staggered slightly while trying to stay standing upright. "I should be saying that about you, Smith. You've lost a lot of blood." 

"It's nothing." the other man said with a stifled grimace. "But, you're just in time. We've been stranded down here without a way to communicate to the Alliance."

"We?" Nanaba asked hopefully. "There are other survivors?" 

Erwin did his best to show her a reassuring smile, though it came off a bit strained. "I managed to get most of the other diplomats at the Embassy to safety before things really got bad. They're using a storage unit in the Market District just below us to hide from the Geth."

The blonde woman visibly relaxed and Levi didn't miss the comforting hand Mike placed on her shoulder as she smiled at Erwin in relief. 

"Lieutenant, contact one of the Alliance ships and ask them to send in an evac shuttle." 

"Aye, aye, sir!" 

"Erwin, what about the Council?" Levi asked. 

The blond shook his head, exhaustion clearly setting in. The raven thought it was a miracle in itself that the man was still fucking conscious after having lost that much blood already, but, Erwin was still a soldier at heart. 

"Couldn't reach them..." the Ambassador huffed, breathing ragged and labored. "Last I knew, they were still at the tower." 

"Evac shuttle is en route, Commander. ETA: ten minutes." 

"Smith, you'd better get that arm looked at when the evac shuttle comes." 

"No," Erwin objected, much to Levi's surprise. "I'm not going with the shuttle." he panted. 

Turning a withering glare on his former superior officer, Levi was not about to take 'no' for an answer. "If you know what's good for you, you'll get your ass on that shuttle as soon as it arrives, Smith." he threatened in an even voice.

"No." The blond repeated. Okay, now he was just asking for a beating, Levi reasoned. "I'm coming with you to get the council." 

"I think you're mistaken, Smith." Levi said, donning a much more calm and neutral expression now as he turned to make his way to the tower. "I wasn't asking you, nor was I telling you. I'm _ordering_ you. Get on that fucking shuttle. The last thing I need is dead weight to carry."

Levi knew his words were harsh, but when it came to stubborn and determined men like Erwin J. Smith, it was the only way to get them to shut up and do as they're told. When he was met with only silence, the Commander took that as Erwin's no doubt reluctant acquiescence.

"Mike, Nanaba, cover me. We're heading to the tower to get the council next."

"Yes, sir!" his squad answered in unison.

Fortunately for them, the Tower wasn't very far -- just a bridge over. As they passed by said bridge, keeping their eyes sharp for any signs of life or movement, they noticed the destroyed Mass Relay still lying in ruins in the shallow lake.

"Commander." came Mike's hushed voice. "I heard gunfire close by." 

"Can you pinpoint it?" Levi murmured back.

"It sounds like it's coming from the elevator just ahead. Guess the emergency power is still functional if that elevator is still working." 

Pulling out his Sniper Rifle, Levi used the scope to see ahead of them. "The doors are still shut. Whoever is using it must still be inside." he said. "Move in but take it slow. We don't know what's behind those doors."

Keeping their 'V' formation nice and tight, Levi and his squad moved as one single unit, a skill they developed after years and years of countless life or death missions under their belts. Like Levi, Mike and Nanaba were N7 trained and he couldn't have asked for a better team. 

Suddenly, the door to the elevator opened, revealing the very Councilors they were looking for. The Salarian Councilor was the first to exit, an injured Asari Councilor shouldering her weight against him as they did their best to exit the elevator. Levi used his scope to spot the duo of [Geth Hoppers](http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/masseffect/images/8/83/Feros_Geth_Hopper.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20091227111648) that were perched on the elevator walls while the Turian Councilor did his best to shoot them down. He took aim at one but missed by just an inch causing the hopper to lunge at the Turian. It knocked him off balance but the Commander had to hand it to the old bird, he kept his feet firmly planted on the ground and stayed upright.

"Move in!" Levi barked as he took a running start. Taking aim with his precision scope, the raven was able to spot the quick hoppers even through the thick smoke from a nearby fire. Needless to say, Levi took the headshot and down one of the hoppers went. "Cover the Councilors!"

Mike and Nanaba moved to help the Salarian Councilor shoulder the weight of the Asari Councilor before Mike lifted the woman up into his arms in the end. They could move more quickly this way.

"Commander Levi...?" the Turian councilor asked in surprise. He was a little winded but otherwise unharmed. "I never expected to see you here."

"We may have our disagreements, Councilor, but the Alliance stands by it's allies in times of need." he said, never taking his eye off the thick smoke that obscured the elevator doors. There was still one Hopper left but he couldn't see it. 

"Yes, I see that now." the old Turian chuckled. "I'm getting too old for this."

"Get the Council to the evac shuttle with the others." Levi said, earning him Mike and Nanaba's disapproving glares in the process. They thought he was trying to go on some reckless solo mission again. "Move it!" he snapped. "The shuttle was en route and should already be down by the market district by now. Our main objective was to get the council to safety."

Suddenly, Levi heard the familiar synthetic chatter of Geth and in an act of frustration to get his squad moving, he turned and shouted at them. "I SAID MOVE NOW! THAT'S AN ORDER!" 

Giving Levi reluctant nods, his squad was soon escorting the three Councilors to safety while Levi picked off Geth that came pouring out of the tower's elevator in hot pursuit. This was nothing, he'd been outnumbered countless times before and had come out of each fight alive -- injured, sure, but alive nonetheless. When he managed to thin out the enemy's numbers, Levi began his own backward retreat, all the while keeping his attention focused on the Geth in front of him. 

"Levi!" Erwin's voice suddenly called out to him. Turning to confirm this for himself, Levi was almost furious to see the blond ambassador standing there, pistol still in his left hand as he took aim and killed a husk that was trying to rush the Commander from behind. Once the husk was down for the count, Levi made little work of the remaining Geth in the elevator and soon the synthetic chatter of Geth was silenced.

"Damn it, Erwin!" the raven cursed, turning around and running over to the Ambassador's side as Erwin collapsed. "Titan, this is ground-team. Mission complete. We need extraction on the double!" 

_"Copy that, Commander. SSV Titan en route to your location."_

\-- M --

Back on the ship, Levi was quick to carry a unconscious Erwin Smith to the med-bay where Hanji was already waiting. Upon seeing the blond, bloodied and injured, Hanji choked back a sob and ran to help Levi set the larger man down on one of the examination tables.

"Erwin..." she whispered into his ear while holding him close and stroking his hair. "I thought I'd lost you." Hanji cried.

"He needs to have that arm looked at." Levi interrupted the tearful reunion. "It looks pretty bad."

Sniffling and wiping her tears away as best she could, the brunette tried not to let her mild hysteria over Erwin being recovered alive hinder her ability to work quickly, though as Levi watched her move about the med-bay frantically, he could tell she was in dire need of reassurance. So, in a very uncharacteristic move, he stepped close and pulled the taller woman in for an embrace. She froze almost immediately and stopped her incoherent blubbering as well.

"What--"

"Calm down." he said in a gentle and even voice. "You're panicking and you need to focus. Erwin's alive." and with that last word, the scientist was going limp in his arms as fresh tears lined her eyes. "He's alive, Hanji." 

"...He's alive..." she repeated in a watery voice. "Thank god, he's alive."

"He's alive... but he's still not out of danger yet. He needs to have that wound looked at and cleaned to assess the damage. Do you understand what I'm telling you?" Receiving a nod from her in lieu of an actual verbal response, that was enough for him as he pulled away and fixed her with a grave expression. "I know you're worried but you need to focus and start acting like an Alliance Doctor."

Wiping her tears aggressively, the brunette nodded her head in quick, jerky motions before she was sucking it up and going about her duties in a much more calm manner. Again, Levi knew his words may have been harsh but if it got the job done, he wouldn't let it bother him much. Hanji was focused now and that's all that mattered.

 _"Commander!"_ the helmsmen yelled over the intercom. _"You need to come to the bridge and see this, sir..."_

Exchanging questioning looks with Hanji, the raven didn't waste any time and turned to hurry up the stairs and past the CIC where their helmsmen and co-pilot sat absolutely speechless at the sight before them. Arriving at the bridge and following their line of vision, the Commander's narrowed, gray eyes took in the horrible sight of the massive black ship perched at the very tip-top of the Citadel Tower.

"What the hell is that thing...?" he couldn't help but breath out in slight disbelief. He'd never seen anything so massive and ominous looking in his life. It had to be three or even four times larger than his own Frigate.

Suddenly, a voice was invading each of their minds -- a voice so horribly hallow and ancient that it reverberated from deep inside his chest and ears, like metal grinding against metal, deafening yet hardly there.

" **YOUR STRUGGLE... IS FUTILE.** " the voice spoke; to him, to every soul on that ship. 

"It spoke..." Levi struggled to say, his throat oddly tight. "That damn thing just spoke to us."

" **I... BRING... SALVATION... AND YOUR END... WE RISE.** "

Rushing forward toward the control panel, Levi used the ships QEC to speak to this unknown entity. He needed answers and he needed them now more than ever. 

"... What the hell are you?" he asked, voice low and dangerous as he spoke.

It took a moment for the voice to respond, but when it did, it sent chills up the Commander's spine with it's cold and detached answer. 

" **THE PROTHEANS...CALLED US REAPERS.** " it said. " **BUT WHAT WE ARE...IS IRRELEVANT. WE HAVE COME TO END THIS CYCLE.** " 

"My god..." Levi heard their pilot gasp quietly. He could hear the absolute terror in his voice. "It's really... a reaper." 

Clenching his hand into a tight fist and gritting his teeth, Levi wouldn't allow fear of this new revelation stop him. He had already resolved to stop the Reapers and damn it, he was going to do it. Pushing the fear and apprehension away, he steeled his nerves and spoke once more. 

"Listen up, you fucking useless piece of scrap metal." Levi growled. "I'm not going to let you succeed. Why should I be afraid of one lone reaper out here all on it's own?"

" **WE... ARE MANY...** " 

"Well, we're more." The Commander retaliated. "You won't win." 

" **INCORRECT. WE WILL END THIS CYCLE, JUST AS WE HAVE DONE FOR MILLENNIA -- SINCE BEFORE TIME BEGAN. YOUR DEATH IS IMMANENT.** "

"Why!?" Levi shouted in anger. "...What do you gain from wiping out an entire galaxy?" 

It took a moment for the Reaper to answer them, almost as if it were calculating it's answer to the Commander's question. The Silence heard as they waited was the worst kind of silence; the kind that weighed down on you heavily until you suffocated.

" **IT IS POINTLESS TO EXPLAIN WHY WE DO WHAT IS MEANT TO BE DONE.** " The reaper said. " **THIS CYCLE'S TIME HAS COME TO AN END. IT HAS ALREADY BEEN DECIDED THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO. YOU CAN NOT STOP IT.** "

Straightening up and taking a step back, Levi stared out at the massive Reaper ship, it's ominous red lights staring back at him as if studying him, waiting to see what his answer would be. 

"Watch me." he challenged in a firm voice. "I'm Commander Levi Ackerman and I _**will**_ stop you."

Upon hearing his name and his statement, the red lights on the Reaper dimmed a bit, giving Levi a sense of satisfaction as they did so. 

" **COMMANDER... LEVI...** " it repeated. 

"Tell your friends I'll be waiting for them." Ending the comm link with the Reaper, Levi began to contact the other Alliance ships that stayed on standby as they awaited orders. "This is Commander Levi of the SSV Titan. Our target is the Reaper cake topper." That earned him a couple of nervous chuckles from his Helmsman and co-pilot. "Fire at will. We sure as hell are."

And like a beautiful symphony of cannons and turrets, the fleet of ships; human, turian, asari, and Salarian fired all at once at the idle Reaper perched on the tip of that Tower. 

"Fire!" 

In a flash of light, the Reaper exploded under that shower of gunfire taking half the tower with it as it collapsed in a fiery heap, a high pitch ringing could be heard as it fell, fell, fell... and then absolute silence followed. 

"Sir," Levi's pilot said in a breathless voice. "The Reaper is dead."

But despite his words, Levi knew this was not the end. This only marked the beginning of a long battle still ahead of them.

\-- M --

"How is he?" Levi asked. As soon as they had finished taking care of that Reaper, Levi had taken only a minute to collect himself as his body threatened to give out from the exhaustion. The last twenty four hours had proven to be quite a challenge for him despite his special N7 training. Even he had his limits. Now, he was in the med-bay leaning against a wall as he watched Hanji's slightly discouraged form slumped into a chair next to Erwin's bedside.

The brunette's brown eyes were glued to Erwin's unconscious face as the blond slept soundlessly. "He'll live." she finally said with a sniffle. "But, Levi..." 

When she hesitated to continue speaking, Levi assumed the worst. He had a vague idea of what the outcome might be but he didn't want to make any final conclusions just yet. 

"You couldn't save his arm?" he asked quietly.

At his question, Hanji broke and finally allowed herself to lean forward and bury her face in her hands sobbing quietly so as to not disturb her unconscious lover. 

"There was too much damage to his nerves." she sobbed. "Oh, Levi, I don't know what I'm going to tell him when he wakes up to find his arm is... is..." she couldn't even bear to finish her sentence. 

"You tell him the truth." the Commander said with a firm voice. "Erwin may have retired from the Alliance but he's still a soldier at heart, Hanji. He knew what he was doing when he saved those people in the Embassy. He can handle it." His words were meant to be a reassurance but he knew they were of little comfort to the brunette as she stopped covering her face and wiped at her tears. 

"I just hope..." she sniffed. "I hope he doesn't think that this will make me love him any less." came her soft words as she reached forward and brushed a lock of his hair out of his face. "I don't think I could bear to be without him." Hanji whispered. 

Feeling like he was intruding on something private, Levi pushed off the wall and excused himself. Hanji seemed like she needed the time alone with Erwin in order to come to terms with this new information. He had faith that she would overcome her grief, however. 

"Get some rest." he suggested as he left the med-bay.

As he made his way past the Mess Hall, Levi got lost in his thoughts. He couldn't help but go over the events of the last week in his head as he tried to figure out what could have been done to prevent all of this. Well, for starters, the fucking Council could have taken their warning about the Geth and Reapers more seriously. Now they were the ones looking foolish after that attack on the Citadel. No doubt, they would be taking the Alliance at their word from now on. 

_"Commander,"_ the intercom buzzed. _"Fleet Admiral Zackly is available on vid comm, sir."_

Levi couldn't help but suck his teeth in annoyance as he came full stop and made a U-turn for the elevator. He was in no mood to speak with Zackly after their last conversation, but if the man insisted on praising him for something he didn't really deserve, Levi would not hesitate to hang up on him again. He still hadn't forgotten what they discussed last time. 

Marching up to the Comm Room on Deck 1, Levi was saluted by his Yeoman and various members of the flight crew as he passed. He dismissed them with a subtle nod of his head but nothing else. Upon entering the room, Zackly was already waiting for him, his blue holographic image buzzing in and out due to static between the linked call.

 _"Ah, Commander."_ the man greeted, sounding so overly pleased with himself. It sickened Levi.

"I still expect an answer, Admiral." he said with a frown as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What happened to Shadis?" 

_"Don't worry, Commander."_ the older man sighed. _"I have not forgotten, but I would first like to commend you on a job well done saving the Councilors. The Asari Councilor was injured but she's fortunately stable and sends her gratitude, as do the other Councilors. They are now in our debt."_

"You mean they're in _MY_ debt." the Commander clarified. "Last I checked, it wasn't Fleet Admiral Zackly who risked his own life and the lives of the SSV Titan's entire crew just to rescue three people."

The look of absolute disapproval he received from the older man was worth it as Levi waited for more bullshit to pour out of Zackly's mouth now that he'd proven a point. 

_"Yes, well, getting back to the matter at hand, Commander. I'm calling to inform you about Capt. Shadis's location."_

Uncrossing his arms and taking a step forward, Zackly now had Levi's full attention. "Where is he?" he pressed. 

_"A small human colony known as Shiganshina on the planet Quinta in the Maria System."_

Furrowing his brows in confusion, Levi had to ask. "What the hell is he doing out there?"

_"Shadis had apparently been notified by an outside source about another Geth invasion happening on Quinta during the same time the Citadel was initially being attacked. Against my orders, the Captain put priority to the safety of the small colony first and when I refused to allow that, he abandoned his post here on the Titan and took an escape pod to Quinta."_

"Shit." Levi cursed under his breath. "So where is he now?"

 _"That's the reason I'm calling, Commander. Shadis issued a distress signal from his pod approximately two hours ago when he landed. The signal was disabled and I need you to go to Quinta and investigate."_

Nodding his head and preparing to leave the room, Levi turned to start walking. "Understood. I'll set a course for a Mass Relay and head there immediately." he said. 

_"One more thing, Commander."_ Zackly said as Levi continued walking away. _"If you do find Keith alive, arrest him on sight."_

Stopping briefly at the Admiral's words, Levi only muttered a quiet 'Yes, sir.' under his breath before he continued out the door and out into the CIC so he could open the Galaxy Map. Like hell he was going to arrest Shadis once he found him. Levi had half a mind to even help the man escape if that were the case, but, first they needed to confirm if he was still alive in the first place.

 _"Heading into the Mass Relay, Commander."_ their pilot announced over the intercom.

Levi didn't respond as he kept his eye on the map, watching their course as they made a jump through space into the Maria system thanks to the relay and their FTL (Faster Than Light) boosters. There were only three planets and a single sun in this system, with Quinta being the second closest to it. 

_"Commander, we're picking up various distress signals from the planet. Orders?"_

"Find a secure landing zone, Flight Lieutenant. I'm going groundside."

\-- M --

Shiganshina had been burned to the ground -- completely wiped out, from what Levi and his team could asses. There wasn't a single sign of life to be found, no cries for help or even the familiar synthetic chatter of Geth to be heard -- not even a single red dot on their scanners, either. It was like walking through a graveyard, which wasn't too far off the mark. The amount of dead bodies they encountered on their scan through the colony's main encampment was horrifying and for once, Levi could feel a sense of hopelessness as he continued to search destroyed buildings and homes for any signs of his former Commanding Officer.

"This is horrible." Nanaba said in a quiet voice as Levi and his squad continued on.

"This is war." Levi said with a scowl. 

"My god," the blonde behind him breathed. "It's like our victory at the Citadel didn't matter at all."

"It wasn't a victory. We just delayed the worst of it." Mike piped up. The first words he said since they arrived on the planet. "It would be a miracle to find anyone alive in all this destruction."

Levi had to agree but until he either found Shadis's body or lack thereof, he wasn't about to call a retreat. He also didn't fail to notice the amount of dead Geth and Husks the closer to the edge of the colony they got and he tried convincing himself that at least the colonists didn't go down without some kind of fight. Still, he found it strange that the dead Geth only seemed to focus around the one general area. Thus far, they hadn't seen the corpses of anything other than the human colonists and it made Levi wonder. 

Then, out of the debris came a sound, a quiet rasp of a cough that alerted Levi and his team to a possible survivor. Looking over at Mike and jerking his head toward where the noise came from, the Major nodded before he was heading the team and using his sharp ears and nose to pick up on anything as Levi and Nanaba followed closely behind him. They rounded a pile of rubble of what could only be the former home of one of the colonists and found their Captain half crushed under a giant chunk of metal as he gasped for breath. 

"Commander," Mike said, looking over at Levi for orders as the raven moved up and started trying to lift up the metal debris up and off the man. Mike didn't need to be told to help, moving to the opposite side and lifting alongside Levi. 

"Keith," the commander called, once the debris had been removed and tossed aside. "Keith, can you hear me?"

The older man coughed up blood and groaned in pain as he gripped his side which Levi belatedly noticed had been pierced by a piece of piping. The broken pipe stuck out with it's jagged edges and Shadis was bleeding profusely. Who knows how long the man had been stuck under that piece of metal with a pipe impaled in his side. 

"C-Commander...?" Shadis rasped before opening his eyes. They had been screwed shut previously, probably due to the pain of the pipe lodged in his side. His former Captain tried to move but when he did, the pipe shifted and the man grunted before falling back on the ground. "E-Eren..." the man panted out. "Where... argh! What happened to the kids that were here?" 

"What kids?" Nanaba asked, pistol in her hands as she kept a watch for any signs of movement while Mike and Levi worked on getting Shadis free.

"Three kids..." Keith struggled to say. "Two young men and a young woman. They were wearing-- urgh! They were wearing the training uniform for the Academy." 

"We haven't found anyone living, until you." Levi clarified. "Now don't move. We've got to cut this pipe so we can transport you back to the Titan." 

Falling silent for a moment, Shadis allowed Mike to give him some medi-gel to dull the pain as Levi worked on cutting through the pipe with careful precision. 

"Can you tell me what happened?" the commander asked, hoping to distract his former CO with conversation. 

It took him a moment to swallow past a lump in his throat, but Levi chose to ignore the glitter of fresh tears forming in the corners of the old man's eyes. 

"I... I received a report about Shiganshina being attacked by Geth. Zackly had just beeped in to tell me about what was happening on the Citadel but... I didn't want to hear it. All I cared about was getting out here as quickly as possible but... Zackly wouldn't allow it, so I directly disobeyed an order and took an escape pod." 

"Yeah, I know that much." Levi snorted as he successfully cut through the pipe and gestured for Mike to start helping Shadis up. "I meant, what the hell happened after you got here? This place is completely destroyed."

Shadis was able to stand with the help of Nanaba and Mike who shouldered him so that he could stay upright without too much trouble. The medi-gel was the only thing keeping the man from crying out in agony thanks to the piece of pipe still lodged in his side, which was something they were going to need to take care of as soon as they were back on the Titan. As his squad moved to head back to the ship, Levi was stopped when he noticed an odd looking Husk lying on the ground motionless before them. 

"Carla..." he heard Shadis gasp from behind him. "So... he did it." the man said wearily. "He... killed her." 

Levi narrowed his eyes as he studied the Husk and it's odd outer appearance. While the face was undoubtedly Husk-like, it struck him as odd that it still had hair, long and dark brown in color as it lay with a single bullet lodged between it's unseeing, synthetic eyes. Then, hearing Shadis refer to the dead husk as 'Carla', he was reminded of his conversation with his former CO in the observatory not long ago. 

"She was the one you mentioned before...?" he asked quietly, not daring to turn back and look at his CO who he could make out was crying quietly as they passed the dead Husk. When he was answered with silence and a stifled sob, the commander chose to drop the subject. "I'm sorry..." was all he could say and he meant it. God, did he fucking mean it.

\-- M --

_In the weeks to come, Commander Levi was regarded as a Hero for saving the Council and leading the attack against the Reaper on the Citadel. He was granted several honors and once again offered the chance to become the first Human Spectre -- an offer to which he refused, again._

_Keith Shadis was officially removed from his post as Captain of the Titan, a punishment he was willing to accept, with Levi taking up his former position. Shadis was now grounded on the Citadel while he recovered from his injury. A Trial would be held over the decision of his future with the Alliance._

_Ambassador Smith recovered from his own injuries and was also hailed a Hero by the people he helped save on the Citadel, and because of this, he was granted a spot on the Council and now officially represents Humanity and the Alliance. He and Dr. Zoe secretly married not long after his appointment to Councilor._

_The threat of Reapers stilled loomed, but the Galaxy now had hope in the form of Humanity's Strongest Soldier._

_But soon a new enemy would rise... and so would a group of new heroes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, this brings Part 1 of this series to an end! Sorry for the confusion for anyone thinking Eren was going to be in this little fic. I should have clarified in the tags and maybe the summery that this story takes place Pre-slash (meaning before Eren and Levi get together). 
> 
> But, I'll be posting the first chapter of Part 2 of this series very, very soon and there we'll finally meet Eren and the rest of the gang and we can get the Ereri ship sailing! Look forward to it!
> 
> P.S. Thank you, those of you, who followed this little fic from the beginning and also a HUGE thank you to my fellow Mass Effect fans who didn't criticize me too harshly for my rendition of this fantastic trilogy. I was super nervous about posting this fic to Ao3 because Bioware fans can be super judgmental, and with good reason, of course. But, as a Mass Effect/Dragon Age fan myself, I hope I did this even the tiniest little bit of justice! 
> 
> P.S.S. And as always, a huge, heartfelt thanks to my partner in crime, paulinkaaxx, for providing me with plenty of encouragement and support and for letting me pick her brain whenever I'm stuck on something and need help. This series is just as much her baby as it is mine! <3 Love ya, sweetpea!


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